What do you want to bet it will be HE who does all the saving, Cathy said.
That’s fine by me.
“Are you going to promise?” Mary asked worried.
“Yes,” I smiled. “I promise to watch out for him.”
“Thank you,” she said as the front door to the house opened.
Aaron walked out with a quiver poking out the top of his pack and his bow in his hand. “You ready, Mage?” he said.
“Don’t you still need to grab the tools?” I asked.
“I packed them awhile back,” he said. “I meant to leave earlier but there was some trouble that needed to be dealt with here first.”
“Good luck,” Mary said as she bent down to kiss Aaron on the cheek. “Be careful out there.”
“I know, Mother,” he said trying to hide his embarrassment. “I’ve travelled the road before. We will have no problems.”
“So you say,” she said.
“Come on,” Aaron said as he walked away. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Thank you for the place to sleep and breakfast,” I said as I started walking backwards so I wouldn’t be too far behind.
“You’re welcome, Andy,” she smiled.
“Bye, Andy!” the girls exclaimed from the front door.
I waved to them before turning around to catch up with Aaron. His face was twisted with frustration as he power walked away from the farmhouse and onto the trail.
He doesn’t seem like he’s going to be too chatty so I can ask you a question.
Ok, Cathy said.
Last night I didn’t dream. I figured with both of us in the same mind SOMETHING would have happened.
I’m glad it didn’t, Cathy said. I doubt any of us would have been able to control it AND we wouldn’t know whose subconscious it would come from.
You have a subconscious too?
Cathy chuckled. I thought we were past these stupid questions. I have a conscious mind. Why not a subconscious?
I guess I thought because you’re in my mind, we would share the same subconscious.
Nope, she said. I am my own separate consciousness.
So what happens if it’s one of your dreams?
Ummm, she said while I could feel her thinking. You might be a little freaked out.
“You don’t talk much, do you, Mage?” a voice said.
A little freaked out?
“Hey! Mage!” the voice exclaimed.
I snapped back to reality and looked over to Aaron who was giving me a weird look. “Sorry,” I said. “I was talking to the voice in my head.”
Smooth, Cathy said sarcastically
“Is that a common Mage thing?” Aaron asked.
“Yes,” I lied. “It’s part of being a Mage. The world sort of speaks to you.”
Nice one, Cathy said impressed. You’re getting better at lying.
“What does the world usually say?” he asked curiously.
“Nothing intelligent,” I smirked.
HEY! Cathy exclaimed.
“You’d think it would,” Aaron said thoughtfully. “It’s the world. It knows everything.”
Here we go, Cathy said.
Shush. He’s actually talking to me without attitude.
“Is there anything else crazy I should know about you, Mage?” Aaron asked giving me a suspicious look.
“Yeah,” I said sarcastically. “I have this really crazy thing where I like to be called by my name and not ‘Mage’.”
Aaron chuckled softly. “Right, Andy was it?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Anything crazy I should know about you?”
He gave me a look.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I said defensively. “You just ask me that. It’s only fair to ask it back.”
“No,” he answered looking forward. “I’m normal.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I asked.
He didn’t answer and just kept walking.
What do you want to bet one of you will kill the other before sunset? Cathy asked.
Maybe I should just leave him next chance I get.
Not a bad idea, Cathy said.
We walked in silence for a couple of hours, following the signs for Riverside. When I asked about why we were going there, he had sighed and explained that it was the easiest way to Thurlborn Peak. I was placing a lot of trust in a guy who wasn’t too fond of me but Mary’s words rung in my head. Aaron would go to the capital because it is best for the farm. All I had to do was follow and not talk.
As we entered a small forested area, Aaron came to a stop and squinted as he strained to see something in the distance. I tried to follow his eyes to see what he was looking at but couldn’t make anything out.
“What?” I asked.
“Can you not see it?” he asked. “The bump on the road up ahead. It’s unnatural.”
I surveyed the area again until I saw a small bump in the road up ahead of us. If he hadn’t used the term ‘bump’ I could have spent hours searching over that spot and not seen anything odd. He had good eyes. Perhaps he wasn’t just some farmer using a bow.
“I see it now,” I said. “What do you think it is?”
He shook his head. “No point guessing back here. Get ready and let’s move in.”
He prepared an arrow in his bow. To make it look like I was ready, I held up my right hand. I felt silly doing it but Aaron nodded and started moving forward. As we drew closer the details started to become clear and we both stopped as we realised what they were.
Bodies. Five of them. All dead.
We shuffled forward quickly and I searched with my mind to make sure there wasn’t anyone in the area that could ambush us.
“There’s no one here,” I said to Aaron as I finished my search.
“How can you be certain?” he asked.
“Trust me,” I said as I boldly approached the bodies.
Aaron still walked warily towards the bodies but as I got closer I could make out the robes and I stopped. The five dead bodies were Mages. And by the look of the area, a battle had taken place here.
“Friends of yours?” Aaron asked as he stopped beside me.
“Not quite,” I answered.
Chapter 12
“What do you mean, ‘not quite’?” Aaron asked.
“I know them but I don’t,” I said as I approached the bodies.
I crouched down to check on the nearest body. His eyes were blank orbs staring upwards towards something only he could see. The robes were purple and bore the mark of the School of the Spiritual. All the bodies wore the same robes except one. She wore the blue and red robes of the School of the Elemental.
“Care to elaborate?” Aaron asked annoyed as he approached me from behind.
I sighed. “These are mages from the Order. The ones wearing purple are from one school and the red and blue girl is from another. But I have never met any of them personally. That’s how I know but don’t know.”
“Alright, alright, keep your robe on,” Aaron said as he looked through the woods. “So what attacked them?”
“Each other, it seems,” I said pointing out the burn marks on the trees and rocks. “The purple robes were ambushed by the red and blue robes.”
He gave me a weird look. “Why would they fight each other?”
I stood up. “Rivalry.”
I could feel Cathy searching my memories.
This isn’t going to go well in your Order, Cathy chuckled. Should make things more interesting though. I’m sure old Larose isn’t going to be too happy.
The Ousting ceremony will be called when he finds out.
We better leave then so it doesn’t look like we killed them, Cathy said.
Good idea.
“We have to go,” I said a little panicked.
“Why, what’s up?” He asked worried.
“I’m not in a hurry to be found with five dead mages plus...” I trailed off as I felt something in my mind. I searched the area with my mind and felt the pre
sence of six minds coming towards us. They weren’t human minds and it took a second longer then I would have liked to figure out what they were.
“Wolves,” I said. “Six coming at us fast.”
“Hurry then,” Aaron said as he turned to run back the way we came.
“If we run they’ll catch us,” I said searching the trees for movement. “Ready your bow.”
Aaron drew his bow and scanned the trees as well. I raised my hands and waited.
This is a good opportunity to use that Nature Magic you learned, Cathy suggested.
I forced some power through my body searching for the aura of the trees. When I could feel it, I connected with it and the trees branches started to move.
Aaron drew a sharp intake of breath and frantically tried to aim for the moving trees.
“Relax,” I whispered. “It’s just me.”
I saw a flash of movement and commanded a tree to lash out at it. A thick branch swept the ground where I had seen the movement and a wolf cried out in surprise. I commanded the other trees to do the same to draw them out so Aaron could shoot them. Sure enough, a wolf leaped out into the opening to escape one of the branches. An arrow cut through the air catching the wolf in the neck. It thrashed and stumbled before collapsing to the ground.
“Five more,” Aaron grunted as he drew another arrow.
Three wolves jump out into the clearing and faced us with bared teeth. I released my power from the trees and refocused my energy as they slowly starting stalking towards us. The one, I am guessing is the leader, was walking boldly towards us ahead of the two others.
“Take the leader now,” I said scanning for the other two in the woods.
The leader yelped once before dropping to the ground with an arrow sticking out between its eyes. The other two hesitated for a second before continuing forward. The last two wolves jumped out of the trees and assisted the other two in trying to surround us.
“Take one of them down,” I said.
“The other wolves will attack though,” Aaron replied worried.
“So be ready for the next attack,” I said watching the wolves.
“But...” he started.
“Trust me,” I said. “Far left now.”
Aaron hesitated for a second before he turned and shot an arrow at the furthest wolf to the left. The wolf dropped and the one in front of me lunged forward. I stretched out my arm and a Pulse shot from my hand and connected with the wolf. The wolf launched back into a tree and the other wolves stopped when I pointed my hand at them. The wolf I hit stood back up, shook his head and rejoined his friends. I looked over and saw Aaron ready with the next arrow.
“Next,” I said as Aaron released the arrow.
The one of the left dropped and the centre wolf made another run at Aaron. I sent a Pulse towards it but the wolf dodged then made a leap. As it flew towards Aaron, I stretched out my other hand and it grew hot as flames shot from my palm. The wolf twisted and dropped before running away yelping.
The one to my right lunged at me and before I could bring myself around to attack it, an arrow flew by my head and struck the wolf in the body. The weight of the wolf crashed into me knocked my off my feet. I held the head away from my face and felt the wolf’s body shudder as another arrow hit it in the neck. The wolf went limp and I threw it off of me.
“Let’s move,” Aaron said as he helped me to my feet.
We broke out into a sprint and ran for as long as we could. With the heavy packs on our backs, we weren’t going to get very far thought. We slowed down and watched behind us for anything else. When we were positive nothing was going to chase us, we stopped to catch our breaths.
“You did alright, mage,” Aaron smiled while trying to catch his breath.
“You’re a good shot,” I started with a smirk while I breathed heavily, “for a farmer’s boy.”
He chuckled. “I can’t believe we took on the whole wolf pack.”
Same here actually, Cathy said. There’s hope for you after all.
Yeah, thanks.
“I’m just glad it wasn’t bandits or Mages,” I said breathing a little steadier.
“It’s a shame we had to leave the Mages in a hurry,” Aaron said regaining his breath. “We could have used whatever supplies they had.”
I shook my head. “All their packs would have been taken by the other Mages. We wouldn’t have found anything. I wish Iʼd taken some of the bandit stuff, though, from your farm. It would have been useful to trade.”
Aaron smiled. “Luckily for you, I’m a thinker. I have anything of value in the pack. We’ll trade them at Riverside.”
“That’s got to be heavy,” I said. “Let me carry some of it.
Aaron scoffed. “I’m a farmer’s boy. This is nothing.”
“Oh, so you won’t mind carrying mine,” I joked.
“Did you want me to carry you as well?” he asked sarcastically.
“If it’s no trouble,” I smiled.
He laughed and shook his head. “Come on. We’re not far from Riverside now.”
He turned and started walking and I quickly caught up. The village of Riverside turned out to be over an hours walk away and the sight of it brought promise of not having to watch over our shoulders for anymore wildlife.
The village itself was surprisingly large. A river ran through the middle the village that, according to Aaron, ran right to the outskirts of Thurlborn Peak. If we could get a decent price for the bandit gear from the farm, we could purchase a couple of tickets for the ferry and ride to the capital in half a day. Otherwise it would be another two days of walking.
Aaron immediately led us into the market area which composed of a few food carts, a blacksmith and a general goods store. People were hustling around grabbing at whatever goods they could get their hands on. We were able to pass through the market without drawing any attention despite our large packs.
“I have to warn you about Burt,” Aaron said as we approached the blacksmith. “He’s a bit of a weasel and a crook.”
Then we really shouldn’t be putting our fate in his hands, Cathy said.
It’s our best option though.
That doesn’t make it any better, she pointed out.
Then keep an ear open and let me know if there is an advantage for us to take.
I get to be devious? Cathy asked excited. Finally!
“Let me do the talking,” Aaron continued as he opened the door to the blacksmith.
I nodded and followed him into shop. The heat from the furnace made the whole shop feel like walking into the sun. The smith, Burt, was a short pudgy looking guy with black soot covering his face and hair. When he saw us enter the shop, he removed his goggles and grabbed a rag so he could wipe the soot off his hands.
“Mr. Reed, good to see you,” Burt smiled. “Do you have some more of your father’s equipment for me to fix?”
“Not this time,’ Aaron answered. “The farm was hit by bandits and I’m looking to sell their stuff.”
“Ah, excellent,” Burt said trying to hide his excitement. “But you should know that, bandits don’t usually have good upkeep on their equipment. So don’t be surprised if it doesn’t fetch a high price. If I even take it.”
“You’ll like THIS stuff,” Aaron said as he removed his pack and placed it on the ground. “I only brought you the best.”
Burt rubbed his hands as Aaron laid out three gauntlets, two pairs of boots, a pair of greaves and a chest piece. All made of tanned leather.
Impressive, Cathy said. The kid IS pretty strong.
“Ah, just as I thought,” Burt smiled, “junk.” He picked up one of the gauntlets and held up. “Scraps sewn together by some want-a-be smith.”
So why does it look better then the pieces of the wall? Cathy asked.
I looked at the arms and armour on the wall and stifled a laugh. The pieces of leather armour looked like they would fall apart and the iron looked damaged and misshapen.
“I can give you maybe thr
ee pieces of gold for the gauntlets and... maybe two for the boots,” Burt said to Aaron.
Yeah and then he’s going to sell those for twenty gold a piece, Cathy said. Look at the price tags on his other stuff. It’s your turn, make him sweat. He seems like the type that would be afraid of a Mage AND crumble if you sound like you know blacksmithing.
“Excuse me,” I said walking up beside Aaron. “But what are you talking about?”
Burt looked at me then turned back to Aaron. “Aaron, who’s your friend?”
“Mage Holcombe of the Order of Magic,” I said boldly. “And I would appreciate if you looked at me when I was talking to you.”
He turned to face me again and the look in his eyes confirmed that mentioning that I was a Mage scared him a little.
“Now, anyone that has seen as much armour as I have knows for a fact that these were professionally made,” I said as I turned over the pieces and noticed a small mark on them. “In fact, you can see the brand of the smith that made them still on it.” I pointed to the symbol that appeared on every piece.
“The symbols are meaningless,” Burt said trying to regain control of the conversation. “Anyone with a hammer and anvil could have made them.”
I picked up the gauntlet and read the name of the brand. “The Steel Anvil, Thurlborn Peak.” Burt looked sheepishly down at his feet. “What game are you trying to play here?” I said raising my voice.
“Look, keep it down,” Burt said quietly.
“Based on the quality of the goods,” I said continuing in a loud voice, “and how much you would probably sell them for, in comparison to the other ‘fine’ goods you have here I would say: ten gold a piece for the gauntlets, fifteen a pair for the boots, sixty for the chest and thirty for the greaves?”
“120 gold!” Burt cried.
“Uh, that equals 150 gold!” I chuckled. “Besides, I think it’s fair. I mean, we could always try the general goods store. I’m sure if they advertised some good quality armour your business won’t lose any sales.”
Burt gritted his teeth. “Fine, 150.”
“Pay the kid,” I said backing up from the counter to look at the pieces on the wall.
Nice one, Cathy said.
Did that come from my personality or yours?
The Tower Of The Watchful Eye: The Legend Of Kairu Book 1 Page 10
