by Jon Bender
“Word is spreading to the other kingdoms about this city and your war with the dark god,” Warin said. “I would not be here if I were not willing.”
“Good,” Jaxom said. “I plan to leave for Ale’adar tomorrow for a visit with the King. You should come with me. He will want to meet you and hear what you know about Kelran.”
“I would be glad to meet the king, but I am afraid I have no mount. I came here on foot.”
“Do not worry about that,” Alimar said. “Everything you require from now on will be provided, and we do not use horses in any case.” When Warin gave him a confused look, he added, “I will explain shortly, or rather Lexa will.”
“I will?” Lexa asked.
“It will give me a chance to see how much you know, and teaching another is a good way to learn,” Alimar said.
“This is one of your apprentices, then?” Warin asked.
“Lexa is the most promising of the three we have,” Alimar said with a hint of pride. “And she is no longer my apprentice, but yours. I have been training all three while Jaxom has dealt with other matters.” Warin looked the young woman over and nodded his approval. “While you are at it, you can teach us the cast you used to stop my coil.”
“Of course. Perhaps in exchange you will show me how you controlled two different forms of magic at once,” Warin replied.
“It’s settled, then. Welcome to our school, Magus,” Jaxom said, shaking the man’s hand.
The audience was breaking up as staff and soldiers returned to their duties. Jaxom made his way back to his rooms. The sun was low in the sky, and he wanted a good night’s rest before he made the three-day trip south to Ale’adar. Laiden, seeing him in the hall, ran towards him.
“Is it true?” the young man asked. “Is there really another mage now? Did he really fight Magus Alimar?”
“Yes, Laiden. Magus Warin has joined us and taken over Lexa’s apprenticeship,” Jaxom replied, grinning at Laiden’s boyish excitement.
“I can’t believe I was reading a stupid history book and missed it,” he said.
“Learning our history is important, Laiden. You have to understand what happened, and what could happen again if we are not watchful,” Jaxom said.
“I know,” he grumbled.
Jaxom smiled. “Go on, now. Get something to eat, then go to bed. With Warin taking on Lexa, Magus Alimar will have more time to train you. I’m willing to bet he’s going to have you casting till you drop from exhaustion,” he said, patting him on the shoulder.
Laiden perked up at that. “I will. Good night, Magus.”
The smile stayed on Jaxom’s face all the way back to his chambers. Laiden’s innocence at the world had yet to be tainted by harsh realities. He hoped it stayed that way for as long as possible. A dinner waited on the big table for him and Adriana. Jaxom sighed. They had stopped taking their meals in the common dining areas because of how uncomfortable people were having their lord eat with them. They would constantly stand to bow or curtsy every time he moved nearby. The experience had been so draining for Jaxom that they had started eating in private.
The bathing room had an enchanted stone tub like the ones he had so often used in Ale’adar. The only difference was that the water to fill it was brought up by servants and then emptied again. He never saw those whose duty it was to fill it or bring the food. Soft nightclothes had been laid out on a nearby stand for after the bath as usual. Celia really knew what she was doing when it came to hiring people to staff the palace.
Removing his sword belt, he leaned the enchanted blade against the side of the tub. Stripping down, he eased into the steaming water and lay back against the stone. The heat loosened the knots in his shoulders and back. As he soaked, he mused. While he had come close to death many times, he had never felt the constant worry he had now. He felt weighed down by the responsibility of preparing for war with a powerful god and running a city full of people in need of protection, all the while trying to build a school of death mages. He let all those thoughts slip away. Minutes later, he heard the main door to his rooms open and then close again.
Peering over his shoulder, he found Adriana standing in the doorway. She wore her flexible leather armor and flanged mace. Taking off the belt, she leaned the heavy weapon against the tub next to his sword. Removing her clothes, she climbed into the large tub and settled against his chest. The heat of her body and smell of her skin relaxed him more than the warm water ever could.
“We didn’t find anything near the city,” she said, wiggling into a more comfortable position.
“I didn’t think you would. We just had to be sure,” Jaxom replied.
“How did it go with Warin? Did he beat Alimar?”
“No, but he’s been using magic for a long time, and it showed. We invited him to join us. He will be leaving with me tomorrow to see Corin,” Jaxom said. He was already preparing a mental report for his brother. Corin’s father had taken Jaxom in as a small, orphaned child and raised him as his own. The family relationship had only become official three months ago when Jaxom had been tricked into taking Corin’s surname. Well, not really tricked. The cunning man had added the formal adoption as a condition for his providing help in restoring Terika.
“I am sure Alimar is pleased,” Adriana said.
“As much as I have ever seen the man pleased.”
“That’s good. At least there is another to train the apprentices. Do you think you can trust him?”
Jaxom had given the question some thought and was not sure they had much choice. They needed as many men and mages as they could find. “I hope so.”
Chapter 3
Jaxom awoke as the predawn light crept through the window. Adriana had wrapped herself in the thick fur blanket against the cold, but he could still make out the gentle curves of her body beneath it. When he kissed her gently on the cheek, she smiled sleepily and burrowed deeper into the bed. Dressing quietly, Jaxom pulled his heavy, fur-lined cloak from the wardrobe and secured it over his shoulders. In the main room, last night’s dinner had been replaced with dried fruit and boiled eggs. Earlier in his life, he would have felt strange at having someone come into his room to leave food while he slept, but he admitted that having it ready saved a lot of time. Grabbing up a couple pieces of the fruit and one of the eggs, he headed for the durgen stables with the sun now above the treetops and filling the room with its warming rays.
The stable staff were already securing saddles to two of the risen in the yard when he arrived. One of the saddles had a double seat, meant to carry two riders comfortably. He was about to correct them when Warin walked out of the stables with Lexa next to him.
“You are bringing Lexa?” Jaxom asked the newest member of their school.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other better. Also, the trip will give me the time to see where she is in her training,” he replied. “Do you object?”
“She is your apprentice. She can come if you wish,” Jaxom said, after a short pause.
“Thank you, Magus,” Lexa interjected, exhaling her held breath. “I promise I will not be in the way.”
Jaxom turned to her. “You are one of us, Lexa. You are never in the way.”
“Shall we go?” Warin asked.
“You were shown these risen yesterday?” Jaxom asked.
“Lexa instructed me on their creation and their capabilities. I will admit I did not know the risen, as you call them, could have their form manipulated. It opens up a whole new realm of possibilities.”
“What do you call them?” Jaxom asked. Alimar had quickly adopted Jaxom’s term for the reanimated, so the apprentices used it as well.
“Nothing. I never needed to name them to anyone before now,” he said. “Those that have seen them were too occupied with running or fighting to ask what they were called.”
Jaxom nodded. He understood very well the fear people felt at seeing someone they knew come back from the dead. “Have the supplies been
loaded?” Jaxom addressed the nearest man, who was busy securing straps of the saddles. When the man answered affirmatively, Jaxom climbed onto the back of his durgen. Warin mounted Alimar’s durgen, on loan until another of the creatures could be completed. He pulled Lexa up behind him, and they took off. Leading them into the air above the palace, Jaxom headed south over the waking city. He could see people opening their shops and moving about the streets in the early morning light. Flying swiftly overhead, he was once again impressed by the design of the circular city, a wall encompassing its entirety protected it from invaders. A second, smaller wall then enclosed the inner city, protecting it in case an enemy ever breached the first. Six more divided the city further like slices of pie running from the palace to the outer wall. If a section was breached by an attacking force, the heavy gates at each archway could be sealed to isolate the enemy.
Once over the city, Jaxom could see the now empty fields where the small crop had been harvested. It was only a fraction of what the surrounding farms could produce, but even that small amount would help Terika’s new inhabitants through the winter. Soon, the tall, thick trees of the Teriken Forest were swiftly passing beneath them. The once treacherous woods were now relatively safe, as long as travelers kept to the road, which was regularly patrolled by Terika’s soldiers.
They finally cleared the rolling carpet of green trees, and Chams’Dell came into view. The small, formerly cut-off town had grown along with Terika, as some refugees stopped there to settle instead of continuing on. What was once a small settlement on the fringes of civilization, whose main source of income had been the pelts hunted in the Teriken, was now a bustling town with booming trade and small farms. Officially, Chams’Dell had always been a part of Ale’adaria. With no northern neighbors, though, Ale’adarian soldiers rarely made the trip, and the people there had never seen a tax collector. That had changed once Terika opened its gates and claimed ownership of the surrounding land. The new taxes had not been popular with the people who had lived here for generations. In the end, Adriana had managed to smooth things over with the town’s residents. Having spent most of her life in the self-sufficient community, they trusted her when she told them that things would only improve. She explained to the community’s leaders that the influx of wealth brought by trade would far off-set the taxes.
After they flew over the growing town, the hours passed slowly with nothing to do but watch miles of empty land below. Wanting to make the best time possible, they landed only twice throughout the day for short breaks. When the sun began to slip below the horizon, they found a campsite near a grove of trees.
Gathering wood in the failing light went quickly with the three of them working together, and Jaxom was pleased to know that such menial work was not beyond the new mage. Spreading out their blankets on the ground, Lexa began pulling out dried rations for the evening meal. Taking command of the two durgen, Jaxom instructed them to circle their small camp to alert and protect them from potential threats. He reached out to one of the durgen, using his magic to look through its eyes. The risen ran along the edge of the trees, watchful for anything that did not belong. Using its superior senses, he searched for anything that would not normally draw the attention of an animal. The durgen would recognize any obvious danger but ignore subtle signs that something might be lurking nearby. Completing a circuit, he found nothing concerning and returned his consciousness to his own body. The loss of his enhanced senses was jarring, but it was something he had become accustomed to. When he opened his eyes, he found both Warin and Lexa looking at him curiously. The small pot they had brought to make their meals was now boiling. The coking meat and vegetables gave off a mouthwatering smell.
“What were you doing?” Warin asked.
“Checking the surrounding area to make sure we are alone. I didn’t find anything, and the durgen will patrol throughout the rest of the night to let us know if anyone shows up while we’re sleeping.”
Warin nodded at the explanation, sitting down near the fire and scooping some of the stew Lexa had made into a small metal bowl. “It’s a good idea, and removes the need for us to pull watches,” he said, settling himself. “I am impressed by your durgen. It had never occurred to me to do such a thing with the risen.”
“It had never occurred to me either,” Jaxom replied, “and I still haven’t mastered the technique. I had never considered what you did with the bones, using them as flying daggers.”
“Ah, yes, a very useful cast when you are short on time, but nothing compared to this armor of yours Lexa has been telling me about,” he said.
“That is only useful in close combat and will only slow down another mage’s cast. That reminds me. I wanted to talk with you about how you moved during the match.”
“How I moved?”
“I think learning the art of the sword could be of help to you. I would be willing to teach you,” Jaxom said.
The other mage took a minute to consider his offer. “I accept. When would you like to start?’
“When we get to Ale’adar. Corin will insist that we stay a few days. We can acquire a sword for you, and use some of the extra time to teach each other casts we don’t know,” Jaxom said.
“And I can begin Lexa’s training,” he said, looking at the young woman.
Lexa looked up from her bowl at the mention of her name. “Yes, Magus. I look forward to it,” she said diplomatically.
Warin smiled. “As do I. For now, I want to get some sleep.” Standing, he moved to his blankets, before crawling into them and rolling away from the fire.
Jaxom and Lexa sat in the quiet of the evening for a while until Lexa looked up to meet his eyes. “What is going to happen?” she asked.
“We will be in Ale’adar for a couple of days then return to Terika.”
“I mean, what happens to us when we are done training and preparing?”
Jaxom hesitated. He and Corin had spent many hours talking through the night about just that question. “When we’re ready, Ale’adaria will march to fight the forces of Or’Keer,” he said. Looking into her eyes, Jaxom tried to gage her response but was met with her usual stoicism.
“Will Laiden, Kasric, and I be going?”
“I don’t know. Kasric will never reach your potential, and Laiden is not progressing as quickly as you are. He may not be ready,” Jaxom said. She nodded, but said no more on the subject. They sat there staring at the fire for a short time longer before retreating to their blankets for the night. Stretching out on his back, he looked up at the shimmering stars. It felt good to be under their quiet gaze again. Warmly wrapped in his blankets, he soon drifted off to sleep.
Jaxom did not know what woke him. He immediately checked on the durgen that tirelessly circled the camp. They had not sensed anything out of the ordinary, but Jaxom could not shake the feeling that something was out of place. The fire had burned low during the night. The red coals and small flickering flames cast a soft light over the sleeping forms of his companions. Pulling the power of death into himself, Jaxom’s senses sharpened, allowing him to hear and smell everything. The scent of the earth and damp grass came to him over the wood smoke, but there was nothing else to indicate something was wrong. Concentrating instead on the sounds around him, he heard nothing but the wind, the popping and crackling of the fire, and the soft sound of Warin’s and Lexa’s breathing. Thinking that maybe he was just on edge after being out in the open for so long, Jaxom was about to release the power when he heard the faint snapping of a stick. Straining his ears for more, he recognized the sound of grass being crushed under foot. Something or someone had gotten past the durgen. Something that moved so quietly, normal hearing would never have picked it up.
Placing a hand on the hilt of the sword, Jaxom readied himself to spring into a defensive crouch. A sudden flurry of movement sent Warin’s blankets flying as the man erupted from what Jaxom thought was a sound sleep. Stepping through the small fire to reach Lexa, Warin stirred the coals to life, illuminating the s
urrounding area. Jaxom saw them then, the dark spots that seemed to absorb what little light there was. Six shades stood near the place where Warin had been sleeping, frozen at the shock of being discovered. They had been men once and still held onto some part of that life, including the capacity for surprise.
Jumping to his feet, Jaxom took a position next to Warin with Lexa standing behind them. Warin thrust his hand out, pulling bones from the ground and snapping them apart to form jagged daggers. Flipping his wrist, the bone daggers flew forward as the shades leapt into motion. All but two were able to dodge the flying shards. One went down immediately while another took hits in the arm and leg. Jaxom drew his sword while raising his other hand to cast. In that moment, he felt himself smiling. He felt exhilarated to once again face death with magic and steel.
He released the blight. One of the shades seemed to shift to the side without moving his feet, avoiding the spiraling columns of white and black smoke. The other attempted to do the same but was not fast enough. The blight caught his arm, and traveled up the limb to reach his shoulder and throat, rotting any flesh it touched.
Warin cast towards the dead foe, and it rose from the ground, picking up its curved blade before turning against its former comrades. The remaining shades spread out to avoid being taken all at once. They closed the distance, three rushing forward while the other dealt with the risen. Jaxom met a dark sword with his own. Staring into the other man’s face over locked cross-guards, Jaxom found eyes that burned with a religious fervor over a mask made of pure darkness that obscured the lower part of his face, making him look even more menacing. Shoving the shade back forcefully, Jaxom unleashed a flurry of controlled strikes against the man. It soon became apparent that his opponent was staying on the defensive, slowly drawing Jaxom away from the others. Taking a quick look over his shoulder, he saw Warin was being lured into a similar situation, leaving Lexa alone and at the mercy of the third and fourth shade. Trying to move back to her, Jaxom was suddenly pressed by his opponent. Warin’s risen shade had been finished off, its head removed with a savage blow.
