by Jon Bender
“No, when he is not in the palace, he is surrounded by hundreds of men, including dark priests and two mages,” Enrick replied.
“How many men could you get into Omest?” Jaxom asked.
“Hundreds if I needed to. Getting into the city is not a problem. The gates are always open, but the palace no longer takes petitioners or dignitaries from other kingdoms. We could not get inside without being noticed by the guards,” Enrick said.
Jaxom was already formulating a plan with this new information about the king’s son. Enrick may not have the resources to remove King Dillion and place his son on the throne, but with their combined forces, it might now be possible. If they could get into the palace quickly and free Tandis, the prince could join them and help to remove his father from power. It would help their cause if a noble and heir to the throne opposed the King. Perhaps he could convince other lords and officers in the Kelran army to join them.
“It would be dangerous, but I think we can get into the palace and free Tandis. With his help, do you think it would be enough to win against Dillion?” Jaxom asked.
“Yes. But how do we get to the prince and then out again?”
“We will need your men to create a disturbance in the city to pull as many of the soldiers and priests away from the palace as they can. A small group of us will go into the palace to rescue the prince and escape,” Jaxom said
“You think that you will be able to deal with the priests and mages?” Enrick asked, skeptically.
“I don’t intend to face them if we don’t have to. We get the prince and leave,” Jaxom said.
“It will take time to gather enough men to make a big enough distraction,” Enrick said.
“How much time?” Adriana asked.
“If I send messengers this afternoon, it will take at least a ten-day to get them all into Omest without being noticed.” Enrick replied.
“Our men cannot stay where they are for that long,” Adriana said to Jaxom. “Every day we stay in the same place increases the chances that the Kelrans will find us, and we are running low on food. We will have to go out and find supplies soon.”
“We have enough room and food for your men here,” Enrick said.
“Thank you, but is this place safe?” Jaxom asked.
“The soldiers do not come here very often, and our men keep watch for miles around,” Enrick replied.
“Why don’t they come here?” Adriana asked.
“There are dangerous animals in this part of Kelran that hunt men when they get the chance. We have lost a few of our own but have cleared most of them away from the immediate area,” he replied.
“You and Saerus, bring the others back. We will accept Enrick’s offer of hospitality,” Jaxom said to Adriana.
“Gant, take your men and go with them,” Enrick said. Jaxom nodded his thanks.
“Are you sure that is a good idea?” she asked, eyeing Enrick and the other men with suspicion.
“They are our allies,” Jaxom said. Adriana did not seem convinced but turned to leave with the others after giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“She is quite the woman,” Enrick said, with a smile that would cause many women to blush. Jaxom was glad Adriana was not there to see it. This was the first time he had ever felt jealous, and he did not like it.
“Yes, she is,” Jaxom agreed. Enrick must have seen a look in his eye because he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Tell me about these dangerous animals.”
“They are called emora. Large cats about half the size of a wolf.”
Jaxom had faced wolves before. He had even raised a pack to defend him and his friends. Animals in unsettled lands could be hazardous. In their native Teriken forest, the durgen were a legendary terror--aggressive, territorial, and extremely dangerous.
“What makes them so deadly?”
“The emora can blend perfectly into their surroundings, making them hard to find until they are on top of you. They hunt in pairs, working together to bring down prey.”
Jaxom remembered the motion at the top of the canyon. “Do you have men on watch outside the cave?”
“No, we keep them further out. If they are seen, I do not want soldiers to find our camp easily.”
“I saw something moving up there earlier but couldn’t make out what it was.”
“It’s been a while since any have come this close,” Enrick said, sighing. “I will have to take some men out and hunt them down before they do the same to us.”
Jaxom curiosity was piqued. He had never heard of a creature that could become invisible. If the man was going to kill these emora anyway, Jaxom may find them useful. “If you don’t mind, I will join you.”
“You are welcome. I would enjoy seeing what a death mage can do,” Enrick replied. He gestured for Jaxom to lead the way, calling several men’s names as they went.
Enrick led Jaxom and four other men to the top of the canyon. He instructed three to go in one direction while he took Jaxom and the fourth man in another. The snow covered, rocky terrain made movement slow through the leafless trees. Enrick drew his sword as the man with them readied a bow. They slowly made their way deeper into the forest. Jaxom drew his own sword and pulled power into himself to help sharpen his senses. They spent almost an hour wandering through the woods without speaking a word. He was beginning to think that maybe he had not actually seen anything when he a heard small creaking above them. He looked up just in time to see an emora leap from a branch onto the back of the rebel. The man screamed and fell to the ground as the large cat bit into the back of his neck, snapping his spine.
Blood dripped from the animal’s two long fangs. As he watched, Jaxom saw its coat shift to match the white of the snow and brown of the rebel’s cloak. Before he could react, Enrick was there, moving faster than Jaxom had ever seen anyone move. Enrick slashed with his sword, trying to force the animal away from his downed man. The emora jumped back, using the trunk of the tree to spring at Enrick with its jaws open. Jaxom raised a hand to cast when a second of the animals leapt from the ground to his right, its coat a whitish grey of the snow and rocks.
He brought his sword up to spear the cat, and the emora twisted mid-flight. Jaxom was barely able to side-step the animal as its claws raked down his black cloak. In the second it took for the cat to set itself again, Jaxom glanced back at Enrick. The animal had latched onto the man’s forearm with its teeth while four clawed paws raked his chest and stomach, shredding his clothes, but did not seem to be drawing much blood. Enrick gritted his teeth and threw the animal into a tree.
Jaxom turned back as the second emora attacked again. Raising a hand, Jaxom cast the coil to wrap around its body. With the emora entangled, Jaxom concentrated and whipped his hand to the side, releasing the cast. With the coil gone, the cat flew hard into a nearby trunk, screeching in pain as it hit. The animal struggled to stand, but its right hind leg would not support it. Jaxom walked over to the lamed cat as it tried to limp away. Brining his sword up in a two-handed downward grip, he thrust the blade into its body.
Enrick stood over the body of his own emora. His shirt was bloody, but Jaxom could not see any wounds. The sleeve of his shirt was shredded and covered with blood, but the arm that should have been ripped off defending against the animal was fine. There was only one explanation for what had just had happened, and Jaxom lifted a hand to confirm it. Channeling the energy of death, Jaxom let a small trickle flow into Enrick. The effect was immediate. Jaxom could feel the cast being pulled into the other man
Jaxom lowered his hand. “Why haven’t you told them?”
Enrick moved over to the dead man. Rolling the rebel onto his back, he placed a hand over the bloody face, closing the man’s eyes. “Many men here have lost friends to the mages who serve Dillion. I do not know how they would react to knowing what I am.”
“I am a mage, and so are some of the others on their way here. Do you think your men are going to have a problem with us?”
“That is different
. You are not from here, and they have all heard of you.”
“I will keep your secret, but I don’t think it is needed. Your men respect and trust you.”
Enrick nodded.
“I have never seen your type of casting before,” Jaxom said. “What is your school called?”
“I don’t know. My father could do what I do, but I have never met another.”
Jaxom kneeled next to the emora and ran a hand over the now grey fur. Hovering his hands over the carcass, he began repairing the body. “It would seem that your school is rarer than my own. People knew about death mages even before we began to rebuild.”
Jaxom remembered reading in the book about the War of the Gods that the mages were allowed to pick what school of magic they would control. Enrick’s type did not seem to affect the world around him the way other schools did. If the mages had not chosen it, fewer children would have been born with the ability to channel their specific energy.
“What are you doing?” Enrick asked.
“I am repairing the damage. It will be able to walk again.”
“You can bring the dead back to life?”
“I cannot give back life, but I can reanimate it to serve me,” Jaxom said, finishing his work.
Holding his hand over the dead cat, Jaxom channeled the power of death into the body. The emora opened its eyes, revealing the white glow of the risen. He commanded it to stand and wait while he began on the other. With the risen holding still for the first time since he had seen it, Jaxom could now truly inspect it. The cat stood as tall as his knee and had a body nearly six feet long from nose to tail. The injuries Enrick had inflicted were far more severe than on the one Jaxom had killed. Not only had the man sliced cleanly through the large cat’s chest, but the force of the blow had shattered several ribs and cut halfway through the spine.
“It will fight for you?” Enrick said.
“It will do whatever I want it to,” Jaxom said.
Once Jaxom had finished, and the second emora was standing, he commanded it to blend in with its surroundings. The effect was instantaneous as the risen took on the colors of the snow and tree next to it. If Jaxom did not know it was there, his eye would have passed easily over the animal and never seen it. Commanding his new risen to follow, Jaxom helped Enrick carry back the fallen rebel. Reaching the cave, they were met by the other three men. Enrick calmed them, explaining the emora were under the control of the death mage. They accepted his word but never took their eyes from the risen as they carried away the dead rebel for burial.
“I should have never involved them in tracking those cats down,” Enrick said after they had gone. “You and I are capable of handling ourselves, but…”
“You cannot do everything alone. No matter how much you wish it, you will lose people. The only comfort you can find is in knowing that they accepted the risk,” Jaxom said.
Enrick met his eyes and nodded. “You’re right.”
“Is there a river or stream nearby?” Jaxom asked.
“Yes, about a mile east of here. Why?”
“I need to look for something,” Jaxom replied. He would need to create animation stones for the emora, and the best place to find the smooth, black rocks was a riverbed.
Enrick nodded. “I can show you.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m sure I will be able to find it.”
Enrick nodded and moved into the cave as Jaxom made his way to the stream with his two new risen in tow. Watching as the large cats blended into the landscape, Jaxom considered how to best use them in his plan to rescue the prince.
Chapter 17
Jaxom lowered the whispering stone, having finished his conversation with Corin. He had told his brother everything that had happened since the last time they spoke. The king had been pleased to hear that Dillion’s son apposed the allegiance to Or’Keer, and that Enrick was prepared to help the prince achieve the throne. Corin had then relayed that the situation in Denra was going well. Cribble had taken the capital city and executed the warlord Tamn. The commander would now continue north to deal with Darat, the warlord whose men Jaxom had already encountered in Dorr. Queen Sanra of Azuria and King Rupert of Dradon were due to arrive within a couple of days. The two leaders were to sign the alliance on their arrival, committing their armies to Ale’adaria’s in the fight against Or’Keer. Unfortunately, Corin had not been able to establish relations with Bruxa. The kingdom had been silent after closing its borders to outsiders. The lack of movement made it difficult to communicate with the kingdom’s leader, Alexar. The last part of their conversation had been the most disturbing for Jaxom. Corin had told him that his success in Kelran would determine whether the Ale’adarian army would march for Kelran or Bruxa. Jaxom was under a lot of pressure to remove the threat before the spring.
Jaxom was beginning to wish that he had brought more men. He thought wistfully of his risen forces in Terika then pushed the thought away. Even if he had every soldier and risen with him from Terika, it still would not be enough to fight Dillion head on. Jaxom was pondering their situation when he heard someone clear their throat to get his attention. A few seconds later, Warin walked into the private chamber that Enrick had provided for Jaxom and Adriana. The natural stone walls and small bed were not much, but it was better than a thin tent on the cold ground. To the side of the room, the two risen emora lay curled on a rug, their softly glowing eyes easily visible in the dimly lit room. The rebels were, understandably, uneasy around the animals after he had implanted them with the animation stones. For his part, Jaxom had quickly grown fond of the large cats.
Warin took a seat in the only other chair in the room. “They are impressive animals. We should consider finding more of them.”
“I thought of that, but Enrick and his men have been doing a good job keeping them away. We would have to travel for half a day at least, and I do not want to risk letting the Kelrans know where we are.”
“A shame. I would not mind having a couple of my own. You already have two risen mages, and now these belong to you as well.”
“Those mages are just another part of our risen force. They don’t belong to me,” Jaxom said.
“And what about the emora? If they are just part of our forces, you wouldn’t mind me--”
“The cats are mine,” Jaxom said, cutting off the other death mage.
Warin smiled, raising his hands in surrender. “What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Da’san has spoken to Sarinsha. The goddess assures him the most powerful among them will not come into our world, but some of the lesser gods may still try.”
“And what does that mean?” Warin asked.
“Alimar has already sent one of the lesser gods back to their plane. If others come, we will deal with them.”
“How was he able to defeat a god?”
“He joined with Kasric, Laiden, and the two risen mages. With their added power, he was able to defeat Estrom,” Jaxom said. “It would seem that they are not as powerful as we thought. At least, the lesser gods aren’t. I don’t think that a joining of five mages would have been enough against Sarinsha or those of her strength.”
“It comforts me to know that if we ever confront Or’Keer directly we stand a chance of winning,” Warin said.
Jaxom nodded his agreement and stood. “I must speak with Enrick about leaving tomorrow.”
“Lexa is looking forward to it. I think she is eager to prove to us that she can handle herself against a dark priest or another mage,” Warin stood and walked beside him out into the corridor. “She has been spending much of her days sparring with Darian.”
“She will get her chance soon enough,” Jaxom said.
“I believe she hopes to earn the title of mage when we get back to Ale’adaria.”
“She is your apprentice. It is your decision when she becomes a mage. Do you think she is ready to work on her own without guidance?” Jaxom asked.
“I don’t know. This is the first time I
have ever had an apprentice. She has advanced far faster than I did,” he said.
“I understand. Both she and Laiden are further along in their abilities than I was at their age,” Jaxom said.
“Have you and Alimar discussed qualifications?” he asked.
“We haven’t, but they can’t stay apprentices forever. If I get the chance, I will speak to Darian on the subject. He is a council member of the Mage’s Castle. Perhaps he can share something about their process.”
Warin nodded. They came to a split in the tunnel, and he turned to Jaxom. “I am going to meet with Adriana to inspect the durgen. She says that some of them are in need of repair.”
“Let me know if you need any help,” Jaxom said as they parted. In the large cavern, he found Enrick speaking to Gant. Walking over, he caught the end of their conversation.
“I understand the risks, but we need the distraction to be large,” Enrick said.
“We could lose alot’a men trying,” Gant replied.
“I know,” Enrick said solemnly. Gant nodded then left Jaxom alone with the rebel leader.
“What’s wrong?” Jaxom asked.
“We are risking a lot of men and innocent people in creating this distraction. When the riot starts, many will die. The servants of Or’Keer are not careful of bystanders,” Enrick said.
The riot had been Enrick’s idea. He believed that with his men at its core, the people of Omest would feel inspired to show their anger. If Enrick lost even half of the five hundred men he was sending, it would be a large blow to his ability to resist Dillion should they fail to free the prince. Also, the dark priests were sure to inflict terrible suffering on the common people afterwards.
“It’s worth the risk,” Jaxom said, reassuring him. In the year they had been fighting, the rebels had made very little progress toward stopping the dark priests from converting the people of Kelran. This plan gave them the opportunity to strike back with force.
“I know, but it doesn’t make the decision any easier,” the other man replied.
