Chosen (Majaos Book 1)

by Gary Stringer

  The whole group was feeling refreshed and remarkably relaxed, until Kismet returned. Taking one look at the raven he asked, “How long has he been here?”

  “Quite a while, actually,” Eilidh replied, lazily. “Anyway, what makes you so sure it's a he?”

  Kismet rolled his eyes. “Sink me, dear girl, I don't care what sex it is. What concerns me is that it's here!”

  “What are you talking about?” Phaer asked, with obvious irritation. “It's just a bird, probably just as curious about this place as we are.”

  “Look, never mind the bird, just shut up and listen, all of you!” Kismet demanded. “I saw something up ahead. Something very dangerous.” “What seest thou?” asked Hannah, getting up, hastily. “Centaurs?” she wondered, checking her sword was free in its scabbard. Once satisfied that it would come readily to her hand, however, she chose not to draw it at that time.

  “No,” Kismet allowed, “but something almost as bad: Enforcers! I sensed wizard magic, too, so I'll wager, if they haven't detected you already, they will soon know all about you, thanks to the cosytime you've been having with your fine feathered friend, here.” At this, the raven squawked and flew off. “So, O Esteemed Leader, what are we to do?”

  “I don't see what you're getting so worked up about, Kismet,” Toli argued. “I can't imagine what Enforcers would be doing way out here, but it's not a problem. We're doing nothing wrong, just going to visit Shakaran. I mean, I know war has been declared and that will make everyone a bit more cautious– OK, a lot more cautious - but that's no reason why we can't go about our normal business. There’s been no curfew on travel as yet, so what’s the problem? Enforcers may look scary but if we leave them alone and don't break any laws, they'll leave us alone, too, I'll wager.”

  “Oh yes!” Kismet agreed, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Just like wasps -they’re probably more scared of us than we are of them.”

  “Now that’s just silly,” Toli complained. “Although,” Phaer offered, “if you’re going to use that analogy from the natural world, then the solution to dealing with the two species is much the same: if we keep calm and don’t make any sudden movements, they’ll most likely leave us alone.”

  “Well I'm glad you're all so sure of yourselves,” said an exasperated Kismet, “but if you don't mind I'll keep on being worried.”

  “Go right ahead,” Phaer sniped back. “It's your life you're cutting short with stress.” “Look, Kismet,” Eilidh soothed, holding her arms out, gesturing for calm as she tried to get everyone back to more constructive conversation. “Why don't you show us what you've seen? Then we can decide what to do about it.”

  Kismet grinned and bowed extravagantly, “I'm delighted to have such a wise and practical leader.”

  “Whatever. Let's go. Quietly.”

  * * * * * Kismet changed his clothes once more “Just in case,” he said - to full scale armour, sword, gauntlets and shield. Nobody bothered to ask where he'd managed to conjure those from. They had already come to expect the unexpected from Kismet. On his shield was painted a beautiful, detailed scene: A blue sky with fluffy white clouds above lush green fields through which a swift-flowing stream meandered its way from a fresh water spring. It was painted in such a way that it almost gave the impression of there really being water flowing across the shield. Eilidh couldn't help thinking this piece of artwork would look better in a frame, rather than on a shield which was likely to have blood, flesh, and all kinds of other stains on it after a battle, as well as all the dents and scratches. The beautifully depicted terrain was obscured in one corner by a picture of a bright orange wand. “My family amulet,” announced Kismet, proudly.

  They crept forward until they could see the four figures standing in the clearing. Two of them were clearly Enforcers, looking like pieces of night against the glorious sunshine. One of the others, in stark contrast, was wearing the white robes of a Catalyst. The fourth man was dressed in a white shirt that billowed out at the cuffs of his purple velvet jacket, matching breeches and white silken hose that were not unlike like Kismet's usual style, only more tastefully coloured. A magnificent-looking sword hung by his side.

  “A warrior of some sort,” Hannah observed. “Or possibly a ranger,” she suggested. “No,” Phaer refuted. “The walk isn’t right. He walks like a man used to command and so he instinctively sets himself above and apart from nature. A ranger is a part of nature and wears the wild lands like a cloak.”

  “A most impressive piece of observation, sir,” Hannah complimented him. Phaer shrugged off the praise. “It’s just like a sailor can tell a `land lubber` at fifty paces because of the way he walks. Similarly, I’m quite certain this man is a warrior – a warrior of considerable rank, Imight add.”

  “I can clearly sense the Life surrounding him, Eilidh,” Toli offered, although she knew full well a Catalyst’s magical senses were considerably sharper than were her own.

  “Secret of Earth, purple aura,” Eilidh mused. “A wizard like Kismet said. A high-ranking warriorwizard.”

  Kismet yawned and remarked, “Sink me, but you lot can be boring. What do you think this is? Bird watching?” “A Knight shalt always avail themselves of any opportunity to observe a potentially hostile situation before engaging in any course of action,” Hannah quoted from The Sacred Code of Paladinius.

  “Wise words,” Eilidh agreed. “Now, our options would appear to be try to go around the glade, hide and wait for them to go away or talk to them.”

  “Or attack them,” Kismet put in.

  Eilidh just stared at him in utter disbelief. “We're dealing with Enforcers here,” Toli pointed out. “If we move they'll detect us, you can be sure of that. That's assuming they don't already know we're here. We could simply be beneath their concern.”

  “If we hide and they detect us, we shalt make ourselves suspicious, methinks,” Hannah offered. “There's too much magic, too much power here for my tastes,” Phaer offered. “I’ve travelled this way countless times and I’ve never seen a group like this before. I don’t know what to make of it.”

  Toli indicated Kismet, “And despite what he says, I certainly don't fancy attacking them.”

  Phaer nodded. “It would be suicide.”

  “Why are we even talking about that?” Eilidh demanded.

  “We do not propose that we attack legitimate authorities, Eilidh, but it is surely wise to consider all our options, is it not?” Hannah said.

  “It’s not an option! How can it possibly be an option? It’s ridiculous to even be discussing this! There’s only one choice: we talk to them.” Her tone brooked no argument.

  “OK, but I'll stay here and keep watch,” Kismet offered. “That way, if we end up having to fight, which I'm sure we won't, I'll be able to surprise them.” Eilidh thought everybody was relieved to hear that. Kismet seemed to have a habit of attracting trouble and trouble was one thing they did not need right now. Better that he should keep out of the way.

  They entered the open clearing, Lady Hannah insisting on taking point while Phaer took rear guard, both ready to protect the magician and Catalyst. What alerted the Enforcers to their presence, they would never know. Perhaps it was the sound of their footsteps, although they were being careful not to make a sound. Perhaps it was the light reflecting off the Knight's golden plate armour, Toli or Eilidh's robes rustling, or their staves upon the ground. It's hard to imagine what the silent, graceful, leather-clad half-elf could have done to give them away. Perhaps it was the sound of their breathing or the whispered prayers to Natus, Patrelaux, or the Balanced One. Perhaps it was the squawking of the raven, perhaps it was none of these: the Enforcers, it was said, were trained to hear the night itself creep up on them. Whatever it was, the group all knew they didn’t have to worry about startling them. With Enforcers around, there could be no element of surprise.

  Just as they were thinking about surprises, they got one and a rather nasty one it was, too. There came a deafening roar as an obsidian dragon appeared
overhead, crash-landing into the glade. The dragon appeared to be wounded and angry– never a good combination - and now that it was grounded, it shapeshifted to the form of a human in chainmail armour, a powerful-looking broadsword in his hand. He didn't appear to notice Eilidh and her group, but immediately advanced towards the others.

  Eilidh cursed under her breath: she had a bad feeling about this. She looked around frantically, all the while knowing it was futile. There was no escape possible and Kismet was nowhere to be seen. She supposed he could be hiding, ready to leap to their defence at any moment. Somehow, though, she knew that would never happen. They were on their own and one way or another, they were going to get caught up in something nasty.

  The Catalyst admonished the others to stay back. “It’s got nothing to do with us. I-” but before she could say any more, Hannah gave a battle cry, saluted with her sword and charged forward.

  Phaer was ready an instant later, nocking an arrow to his bow. “Toli,” he said, “when I release this arrow, can you do that trick you did before with Hannah's spear?”

  “You mean Fireflash? Sure. Halfway between here and your target, the arrow will be on fire.”

  “Good,” he acknowledged. “Maybe magic has its uses after all,” he added with a crooked half-smile.

  Toli grinned back.

  Eilidh despaired as the scene around her erupted into chaos.

  “This is madness!” she cried, but she knew there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it.

  As Phaer nocked his first arrow, the longbow burst into flames, forcing him to drop it. “Toli, you were supposed to do that to the arrow,” he yelled as he drew his sword, “not the bow!”

  “It wasn't me, I swear!” The hobbit protested. “It couldn't possibly be me, my magic's gone! I felt theirCatalyst Drain my Life.”

  “Then how come you aren't being burned by raw magic?” He may be `Dead`, but he knew that much about magic.

  “Oh he's left me with enough for protection but not enough to do anything with. Life Draining doesn’t hurt or anything, as long it’s done carefully. Plus my Life Store will regenerate given time.”

  “I don’t see why you should have to wait for that!” Eilidh said, indignantly, but she was stopped by the voice of her counterpart. “Grant her Life and next time I Drain it all!” He warned. “My Enforcer friends will be over shortly to remove your magic their way, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait - they're a little busy right now!”

  He was right about that. One of the Enforcers cast a paralysis spell on Phaer, while Lady Hannah Collins was a victim of a Fire Rings spell from the other. Less than a minute into the battle and already all four had been successfully removed from the fight. Very Enforcer-like: efficient and effective.

  “I told you this was madness,” Eilidh muttered, darkly. All this left the dragon-turned-warrior who went straight for the gentleman in the posh clothes. The dragon warrior launched himself at the other with his sword, but quick as a flash the other drew his own blade and parried the attack with apparent ease. The gentleman proceeded to fence the dragon, frustrating every stroke.

  “You fight well, sir,” the gentleman complimented, “but I am on something of a tight schedule, so if it's all the same to you, I think I'll end this now.” After a complex flurry of strokes from the gentleman, the dragon-warrior found he had lost his own weapon suddenly. It was now on the ground three feet away. But the fight wasn’t over yet, as the sword obediently flew back to its owner’s outstretched hand. He pressed his attack and his opponent was momentarily caught off-guard, but his defence was well up to the challenge.

  “That's a fine sword you've got there, sir,” the gentleman admitted. “But mine's better!” And with his next breath he called out, “Hawk Strike!” His sword flashed in response and his next parry caused the dragon-warrior to yelp in pain and drop his sword at his feet. In the second that he reflexively nursed his wrist, his opponent grabbed the sword and held it firmly in his left hand. He wasn’t getting it back this time.

  With a growl, the big warrior tried to revert to his dragon form, but was shocked to find he was bound tightly by magic. “Now, now,” said the gentleman, tutting. “That really wouldn't be fair now would it? I'm afraid I can't allow dragons to attack me whenever they feel like it and fortunately my Enforcer guards have ways of ensuring that any such attacks take place on my own terms, so I can rely, if you’ll forgive the conceit, on my own not unremarkable swordsmanship. Now then, it's been a pleasant little workout, I'm sure you'll agree.” The dragon-warrior was sweating and bleeding - the wizardwarrior wasn't even breathing hard. “But I don't have any more time to play. Awfully sorry about that.” Turning to the Enforcers, he commanded. “Restrain him and the others, but do it in a way that allows them to walk. Then search the glade thoroughly. Make sure there are no more of these vagrants lurking about.”

  Both black robed individuals bowed low. An instant later, rings of fire surrounded both the dragon-warrior and Phaer, then the latter felt the paralysis lift. The Catalyst worked with both Enforcers to keep their Life Store topped up so they could keep casting these complex spells. Then the Enforcers cast Nullmagic on Toli and Eilidh, before disappearing.

  “Vagrants, sir?” Hannah demanded with typical Knightly indignation, ignoring the mages’ activities. “How dare ye? Dost thou not recognise mine armour?”

  “Stolen, no doubt.” Eilidh would not have been surprised if the Lady Knight had gone for him, fire rings be damned, but she kept her dignity as she responded with words, holding her head high. “I am Knight Initiate Lady Hannah Collins of the Fourth Merlyon Infantry Division, under Knight Officer Sir Warren Mitchell. Thou hast captured me in battle and I expect to be treated in accordance with Mythallen General Law as laid down after the Tech Wars.”

  “Yes, yes, you will be given a trial and if you are found innocent, you will be allowed to go free. But if you - any of you - say one more word unless asked a specific question, I will make your trial posthumous! Now you are going to walk the rest of the way to Shakaran. Those of you surrounded by Fire Rings, I assure you they will allow you to walk, but try to run or make any sudden movements and theywill cut you into sections. Move.”

  They had no choice but to obey. Eilidh's quest was not starting out well.

  Chapter 4

  Eilidh was puzzled to note that she had grown much calmer once they left the glade behind. The others seemed to have relaxed, too.

  “Why did we do that?” Phaer whispered. “You were right – we should never have got involved. It was obvious that we shouldn’t. But somehow…”

  “…Somehow you couldn’t stop yourself,” Toli finished. “I felt that way, too.”

  “As did I,” Hannah concurred. “It was indeed most foolish, against all my training. Why didst we act thusly?”

  Eilidh frowned, deep in in thought. “I don’t know. There was strange magic in that place, maybe it was affecting us all, somehow.”

  “Except you,” Phaer pointed out.

  “Yes, I did seem to be less affected, but I could still feel…something. Something odd.”

  “Because you’re a Catalyst, maybe?” Phaer

  “That would be my guess,” Eilidh agreed. “You ask good questions,” she added. “Especially about magic.”

  The ranger shrugged. “Magic is all around us. To ignore it just because I can’t use it would be stupid. I’ve been around and I’ve picked things up along the way.” Eilidh smiled, encouragingly, but her mind had already moved on to consider their situation, and she concluded things weren’t as bad as they seemed. After all, they had wanted to go to Shakaran City and now they had a very capable escort.

  An escort for which they quickly learned to be grateful as they were frequently attacked by fearsome-looking creatures that none of them could identify. They had never been in sufficient numbers to stand against their captor, however, who handled each situation with a graceful ease that had even Phaer inwardly applauding. Each attack was met with magic or stee
l, or a combination of the two.

  Eilidh was confident that this man would prove true to his word, grant them a fair hearing and everything would be sorted out, revealed for the misunderstanding that it was. Eilidh believed in justice and got the impression that this man would see it done.

  Just as the Catalyst was pondering on this, the two Enforcers returned. “Your Grace,” one said, respectfully. This was clearly a very important man in Shakaran City. “We conducted a thorough search of the glade, until it disappeared.”

  “Disappeared? What do you mean, it disappeared?” The Enforcer, an elven female, spread her hands, helplessly. “I mean it disappeared. The glade is no longer there and the normal borderlands landscape has returned. I tell you truly, Your Grace; I have never seen magic likeit before. I could not begin to tell you how it was done.” “I see,” replied His Grace. “So what about before it disappeared? Did you find anyone else?”

  “No, Your Grace, there were no other persons in the vicinity, but my partner did find something odd.” The other Enforcer, a human male, held up a small wooden bucket with a bright orange handle. It was the sort of thing one would expect to see a child playing with on the beach to build sandcastles. The gentleman tried to hide a smile at the peculiar clash of images: a powerful, deadly Enforcer with a child's toy in his hand. “A bucket,” His Grace observed with a raised eyebrow. “Hardly worthy of your attention, surely?”

  “As you say, Your Grace,” the Enforcer stated in a voice that told Eilidh that he did not agree, but was far too respectful of His Grace's position to contradict him in front of strangers. Eilidh wondered, not for the first time, who this man could be that commanded two such powerful Enforcers as personal guards. Not that he had so far shown any sign that he needed to be guarded - he was more than capable of taking care of himself.