Death Mage's Fury

by Jon Bender

  When they landed, he let Darian down to find his horse again before moving into the forest. Lord Wilbrin joined him as the men began to fall in behind, the small force working their way further into Kelran.

  They rode in silence through the quiet forest. The setting sun forced them to make camp amongst the leafless trees for the night. On the second day, a scout reported a good-sized town in a valley only an hour away. Shortly thereafter, Jaxom, Da’san, and Lexa stood on top of a hill, looking down at the small community. It looked peaceful under its white blanket of snow. Small columns of smoke rose from chimneys of the stone buildings. Jaxom had decided to bring Lexa because she appeared to be only a simple girl and not a threat. Of the three, Jaxom himself was the most likely to meet resistance when asking around for information on the rebels. Da’san, as a priest of Sarinsha, would cause a stir in any land dominated by Or’Keer. Jaxom could only hope that seeing the servant of a benevolent god amongst them would give the people hope and allow them to trust the group enough to tell them what they needed to know.

  “Da’san will introduce himself to the people while we keep an eye on him. If there are devout followers of Or’Keer here, a likely possibility, they will not be happy about him encouraging the worship of another god,” Jaxom said.

  “You have a lot of faith that these people will tell me where we can find this man,” Da’san said.

  “They may not, but hopefully you can learn something that will lead us to someone who will,” Jaxom replied.

  “Shall we get going then?” Lexa asked. Not waiting for an answer, she started down the hill.

  As they passed the first buildings, Jaxom and Lexa hung back, allowing Da’san to get a short distance ahead. His blue robes instantly drew attention. Some people watched him with looks of hope while others gaped in obvious fear. Soon, a man approached the priest, stopping him. The man’s hand appeared to have been broken and allowed to heal without being properly set. This left the man unable to fully open it or grip anything firmly. Da’san placed a hand over the man’s, and a bright light bloomed between them. The man screamed and dropped to his knees as bones snapped and realigned themselves, but Da’san set his jaw and continued until the healing was complete. When the priest finally stepped back, the hand was whole again. The man on the ground flexed it in amazement as he thanked Da’san.

  After that, others came forward, asking for healing or for Da’san to pray to Sarinsha to aid them. When Jaxom saw the first sign of fatigue in his friend, he and Lexa stepped forward to lead him away, explaining to the people that the priest was tired and would need time to rest. A burly middle-aged man with short black hair placed a hand on Jaxom’s arm, stopping him. Jaxom instantly drew on the power of death, ready to defend himself and his friends. The man stood next to a woman with black hair whom Da’san had healed of a persistent ache in her leg.

  “You are all welcome at my inn for as long as you wish, without charge,” the man said. Leaning in closer, he whispered into Jaxom’s ear. “It will be safer for you there.”

  Jaxom looked into the innkeeper’s eyes then nodded his agreement. The large man started down the street, leaving them to follow. It was only a few minutes’ walk to the three-story building. Inside, a few patrons sat at scattered tables. The innkeeper closed the door behind them and gestured for them to follow. A few of the patrons looked up, but most seemed too downtrodden to care. He led them through another door to a small kitchen behind the bar and waved at a woman stirring a large pot to leave. Once they were alone, the black haired woman locked the door behind them.

  “My name is Larrum. I would first like to thank you for healing my sister, Kree’a,” he said, indicating the woman.

  “You are welcome,” Da’san said, bowing his head.

  “May I ask who your companions are?” Larrum asked

  Da’san looked from Jaxom to Lexa before answering. “They are traveling companions on their way to Trad’eon,” Da’san said, mentioning the kingdom east of Kelran. Jaxom could have kicked his friend for such a weak story. Da’san had warned him that he knew nothing of subterfuge.

  Larrum looked at Jaxom and Lexa after the explanation, clearing noting Jaxom’s sword and Lexa’s confident posture. “It is probably best that we don’t know too much about you.”

  “What did you mean that we would be safer here?” Jaxom asked.

  Larrum looked to his sister, who appeared suddenly nervous. “You are obviously not from Kelran,” the innkeeper said, looking at Da’san. “All priests who do not worship Or’Keer are either dead or gone for over a year now.”

  “What happened?” Da’san said.

  “When the dark priests first arrived, they did so quietly. They did not announce their presence, but the priests of the other gods began to disappear, along with hundreds of people from the streets of the capital,” Larrum said, lowering his voice. “From there, it got worse. Eventually, all the temples were abandoned, leaving only the servants of Or’Keer.”

  Jaxom was familiar with Or’Keer’s tactics. The dark priests abducted people and forced them to choose between serving Or’Keer and death. “What of the King?” Jaxom asked.

  “Some say that he served the dark god even before the priests arrived,” Larrum said.

  “Why are you helping us?” Da’san asked.

  “Every so often, the priests of Or’Keer come to town to… purge us. They search out any who still worship other gods and make examples of them,” Larrum said.

  “That still does not explain why you brought us here,” Jaxom said, growing impatient.

  “We still pray to Sarinsha, but we destroyed every icon and symbol of her we had after the first purge. Or so I had thought,” Larrum said, looking to his sister.

  “I kept a small idol of the goddess to look upon when I needed strength,” Kree’a said. “Two days ago, I found a man in my room holding the idol. He placed the idol on a table and smiled at me before he left.”

  “A man?” Lexa asked.

  “There are people in every village, town, and city who serve the priests as informers. When they find someone who has prayed to another god, or even someone they suspect of it, they report to the dark priests when they come for the next purge,” Larrum said.

  “When do you expect them to arrive?” Jaxom said.

  “No more than five days,” Kree’a said. Since her brother had mentioned the purge, she had been wringing her hands.

  “You should leave here as soon as you can,” Lexa said.

  “We have made plans to leave tomorrow. There are rumors of a city in Ale’adaria ruled by a powerful mage who is protecting anyone who goes there. When you arrived, we thought that we might travel with you for safety,” Larrum said.

  Da’san was ready to speak, but Jaxom cut him off before he could give away who they were. He had no cause to suspect Larrum, but he also had none to trust the man either. “What of the mages who lived here in Kelran? Surely, they are fighting against Or’Keer and his servants,” Jaxom said.

  “I do not know what happened at the mages’ enclave outside of Omest,” Larrum said.

  “Omest?” Lexa asked.

  “Omest is the capital,” Larrum explained. “I have heard of mages sometimes joining in the purges, but I have never seen one here.” That was not good news for Jaxom. If enough mages now served Or’Keer, it would make his task increasingly difficult. “Will you take us with you?” Larrum asked.

  Both Lexa and Da’san looked to Jaxom. He hesitated. His party was going deeper into Kelran, not leaving it. If the Bandit Lord was everything Warin said, maybe he would know how to help them.

  “You can travel with us,” Jaxom said, “but we are not leaving Kelran. We are here to aid a man they call the Bandit Lord. Do you know where we can find him?”

  “We know of him,” Larrum said cautiously.

  “If you can tell us where he is, we will take you with us when we go. Perhaps he can hide you or get you out of Kelran,” Jaxom said.

  Larrum looked a
t his sister then back to Jaxom. “You are going to help him fight King Dillion and the dark priests?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Jaxom said.

  “I don’t know where he is. King Dillion has put a bounty of five-hundred gold pieces on his head, not that any of the common people would ever turn him over.”

  Jaxom sighed. “You are still welcome to come with us, or you could travel to the city you spoke of. Its name is Terika, and you will be safe there.”

  Larrum stood quietly for a moment. “I do not know where the Bandit Lord is, but I know someone who might.”

  Jaxom tried not to get his hopes up. “Can you have him meet with us?”

  Larrum nodded. “I don’t know for sure that this man knows the Bandit Lord, but I have seen him leave town soon after a purge. He is sometimes gone for as much as a ten-day.”

  Jaxom nodded thoughtfully. This man could be what Larrum suspected, an ally of the Bandit Lord, or he could be a worshiper of Or’Keer. However, they could not spend half the winter wandering around Kelran. They would have to take chances.

  “How soon can you get him here?” Jaxom asked.

  “I will need to be careful. He does carpentry work around the town. I can find him tomorrow and tell him I have work that needs to be done,” Larrum said.

  “Tomorrow, then. We will stay here if you have a room available,” Jaxom said.

  “Two rooms,” Lexa said, glaring at Jaxom.

  “Two rooms next to each other,” Jaxom agreed. He did not like being separated, even by a wall, but he understood her reasoning.

  “Of course,” Larrum said. “The evening meal will be ready in an hour, and anything else you want is free of charge. Kree’a and I still have some packing to do, but I will see you in the morning.”

  “Do you have horses?” Jaxom asked.

  “Yes, we have four and a wagon,” the innkeeper replied.

  “Bring only the horses and what they can easily carry,” Jaxom said. Larrum was about to argue but nodded instead. Their lives were more important than any material things.

  After they finished talking, Kree’a led them to a corner table at the back of the common room. The young woman who had been in the back cooking brought out three mugs of ale. Da’san smelled the strong liquid and pushed it away. Lexa, however, smiled and took a long draw.

  “I hope the man Larrum is bringing tomorrow knows where we need to go,” she said, setting the mug down on the table. “It would save us a lot of trouble.”

  “The sooner we remove King Dillion, the better off this land will be. I do not know how a man who is responsible for the wellbeing of his people could allow them to be treated like this,” Da’san said.

  “Some men crave power over everything else,” Jaxom said, sipping from his own mug. “For men like that, sacrificing an entire kingdom would be nothing if they thought it would gain them more.”

  “Whatever his reason, the man does not deserve to rule,” Da’san said, his voice full of anger.

  “That is why we are here,” Lexa said. “But I hope that the Bandit Lord has a lot of men. If the King has dark priests, mages, and thousands of soldiers, I do not know how we are going to stand against him,”

  “There is already an organized force resisting Dillion. With our help, they may be able to finish it,” Jaxom said.

  Lexa was on her second mug when Kree’a brought them bowls of beef stew and hunks of fresh bread. Jaxom had thought about stopping the apprentice, but decided against it. From her happy demeanor, he guessed this was the first time she had ever had ale. She was risking her life on this trip. Jaxom would not take away her chance to experience something new. By the time they finished their meal, she had drained her third mug. Jaxom could not help but smile as she stared vacantly at the wall.

  “I think we are going to have to carry her to bed,” Da’san said, pushing his chair back.

  Standing, Jaxom lifted the young woman from the chair, pulling one of her arms over his shoulder. Waiving Kree’a over, he had the woman lead them upstairs to their rooms. Opening the door, the innkeeper’s sister stepped aside so that they could lay Lexa down in the empty bed. Jaxom covered the apprentice with a blanket before leaving and closing the door behind them.

  “Do you think she will be all right?” Da’san asked.

  “For tonight, she will. We are just in the next room. Tomorrow, however, she may regret ever having that first drink,” Jaxom said with a laugh.

  The two friends left the young woman to sleep off the ale and entered their own room. Jaxom volunteered to take the floor, knowing Da’san had spent much of his energy healing. The priest looked like he could use a comfortable night’s rest. Even on the floor, Jaxom felt guilty about being in the warm room while Adriana and the men slept in tents outside. Eventually, the guilt passed as he drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, Jaxom and Da’san sat at the same table they had used the night before. Their breakfast consisted of eggs, links of spiced sausage, and toasted bread with butter.

  “I do not think we should mention this to the others when we get back,” Da’san said, waving his fork at the food. “Especially to Warin. We may never hear the end of it.”

  “Agreed,” Jaxom said, spearing a sausage.

  Looking up from his meal, Jaxom saw Lexa coming down the stairs slowly, her hand sliding down the wall to support her weight. Pulling out the chair at the table, she did not sit so much as collapse into it. Jaxom slid a third plate of food in front of her, only to have the young woman take one look and push it away and instead fill a cup with water.

  “Why do people drink ale if this is what happens,” she asked, sipping from the cup.

  “I do not know,” Da’san answered. “The idea of losing control of yourself only to suffer afterwards has never made sense to me.”

  “A drink can help a person to relax,” Jaxom said, grinning. “You just have to know when to stop. Unfortunately, that is something that can only be learned the hard way. Next time, you will know not to have so much.”

  “There is not going to be a next time,” Lexa whimpered. Jaxom could not help but laugh at her miserable state. Larrum entered just as Jaxom was sitting back, having finished his meal. The innkeeper made his way over to the table. “Good morning, I hope you are enjoying the food,” Larrum said, clearly for the benefit of the half dozen other patrons eating. “If you are done, I will remove your plates.”

  Jaxom nodded, and the man leaned in to pick up the plates and mugs. “The name of the man we spoke of is Saerus. He will be here shortly,” Larrum whispered as he cleaned up the table. “He thinks I have a stable door in need of repair.”

  “Make sure you are ready to leave,” Jaxom murmured as Larrum stood back up. The man nodded before heading into the kitchen.

  “Well, let’s go,” Lexa said, standing slowly.

  Da’san moved to join her when Jaxom laid a hand on his arm. “It might be best if you wait here. I want to feel this man out before we let on too much. Having you there may cause problems if he is not what Larrum thinks,” Jaxom said.

  “Very well. Perhaps I can take the time to speak to more of the people here. If Saerus does not have the information we need, maybe someone else will,” Da’san replied.

  “Just be careful,” Jaxom said, standing.

  Outside, he pulled his heavy black cloak around himself against the cold. Walking to the side of the inn, he and Lexa moved into the small fenced yard in front of the stables. Inside the small wood building, horses whickered in their stalls. Saerus had yet to arrive. Jaxom leaned against a nearby post to wait.

  “Is there anything you want me to do or say when he gets here, Magus?” Lexa asked. She seemed to be recovering quickly now that they were moving.

  “Stand there and look intimidating,” he said, grinning.

  “I suppose one of us has to,” she replied with a straight face.

  Jaxom was chuckling at her quick wit when a man in his thirties carrying a handled box full of tools walked into
the stables. He was of average height and heavily muscled through his arms and chest. His light brown hair was closely cropped, giving him a hardened look.

  “Are you Saerus?” Jaxom asked.

  “Yes. Larrum asked me here to fix one of the stall doors,” he said, carefully.

  “The stall doors are fine. I asked Larrum to bring you here so we could talk,” Jaxom said.

  Saerus’s posture changed from confused to guarded, and he took a half step back towards the door. “I don’t understand.” He glanced at Lexa, had crossed her arms over her chest. The young mage-in-training did manage to look menacing.

  “Larrum tells us that after the purges you leave, sometimes for many days,” Jaxom said.

  “What of it? After what Or’Keer’s priests do, I need to get away from here,” he said defensively.

  “Are you allied with the rebels here in Kelran?” Jaxom demanded. “Do you know where we can find the Bandit Lord?”

  Saerus’s eyes went blank with fear. He dropped the box and ran for the door. A coil of white smoke whipped out, snagging the man around the ankles. The horses neighed and reared at the disturbance. With Saerus now on the ground, the coil curled around his body, climbing his legs and chest. Lexa squinted slightly with effort as she pulled the man towards her. When Saerus lay in center of the stables, Lexa looked at Jaxom and shrugged.

  Shaking his head in amusement, Jaxom moved closer to Saerus and kneeled. “We are not here to hurt you. I just want to know if you are reporting to the rebels every time the priests visit your town.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about!” he yelled, struggling uselessly against the coil. “I don’t know anyone from the rebellion. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  Jaxom switched tactics. Raising his hand, he channeled the power of death to form his own coil. Wrapping his cast around the man as Lexa had done, Jaxom looked over at the apprentice. “Go get Larrum and Da’san,” he said.