by Andrew Wood
He paused on the image of a young lady with bright red hair for a while, knowing it to be that of his mother. A woman he had up until now, had no memory of, suddenly became known to him; or at least the picture of her young face did. However, what had happened to her after his birth was something still unknown to him.
Chapter 17.
Ramon paced quickly down the corridor towards the king's rooms. News that refugees were approaching along the road from Denley had caused panic in Pitford. True, they had sent word with Maxim's rescue party that trouble would likely be heading their way. What they had not foreseen was the almost immediate impact the letter to the Captain of the guard would have. With news that the number travelling toward them numbered over at least two hundred, was certainly not going to make life in Pitford any easier. Living space was already at a premium, as a result of the King's soldiers and house staff arriving a short while ago.
The king was bidding farewell to his wife and children, just exiting from his living quarters. He looked to see Ramon walking towards him and cast him a wry smile. "Sorry to have to burden you further Ramon," Oran said as the pair walked alongside each other. They planned to head outside to the wall, and see for themselves just how many people they were to receive.
Ramon had wanted to spend time with his magical students; giving them training for an attack he knew was impending. Whether that strike would come from the Bosarians or the Mountain folk, his visions had not yet foretold. His time was now being used instead, dealing with matters he had been told would be dealt with by others. Ramon however knew Oran already doubted his own abilities, and therefore needed to show as much support and encouragement as possible. The future for Kothia hung over a precipice, whether they would fall or survive would be decided in the next few weeks.
Ramon stood atop the wall with Oran at his side. A long single file line of people, horses and carts were making their way towards them. "At least many appear to have bought supplies," Ramon said as much to himself as to the king stood beside him.
"Let us be thankful for small mercies," Oran replied confirming that indeed looked to be the case.
"I don't see any soldiers...or many men," Ramon added conspicuous by their very absence.
Oran nodded, once more agreeing, "Well I suppose we best go down and see what they have to say."
As the first refugees strolled through the main gates, an elderly man stepped out of the strangely orderly queue. He had on his person an important missive from the Captain of the Denley Garrison, which needed to be placed into the hands of the king. At first, the guards offered to deliver the message for him, but the old man appeared quite insistent he was to carry out the task himself. As a result, word was sent and Oran duly sought the man in question out.
The old man bowed, albeit a little awkwardly before rummaging inside his cloak for the letter in question. Oran looked to Ramon and rolled his eyes back as the man seemed to take an age to find it.
"Ahh...here it is," he finally exclaimed holding out a rather crumpled piece of parchment.
Oran gracefully accepted it, thanking the man for his trouble, before gesturing for him to rejoin the line of people.
After reading the note, which had clearly been hurriedly written, he held it for Ramon to read. He waited a little before speaking, "Not quite what I had in mind, but it appears the Captain at Denley is on my side."
Ramon nodded, passing the note back, "It would appear so Sire, but quite how long he will last is anybody's guess."
"We must send him help," Oran replied, much to Ramon's surprise. "I want you to send him some of our soldiers...and some of your magicians."
Ramon almost felt his heart sinking in his chest, and he immediately attempted to plead against the idea. "Sire... the magicians are needed here..." he said hoping the king would change his mind.
"Nonsense Ramon...Come now, you want me to be proactive in dealing with this...Well if we can stop the Bosarians at Denley then we won't need so many to defend here against the Mountain Tribes if they attack."
Ramon knew what the king said made sense, but sending his young magicians out to fight a war when many of them were still little more than children, was not right. However, he took a deep breath and nodded his head subserviently; he certainly did not want to appear to question the king's decision, especially in such a public place.
As the last of the refugee's meandered their way through the gates and into the town, Ramon turned to return indoors. He needed to call all his magicians, both tutors and pupils to the main dining hall; it was time he told them all what was to be expected of them. Several scenarios ran through his mind, none of which seemed any better than the last. Was it fair for the king to ask his young magicians to fight his war? He supposed it was, after all, it was Oran who had risked his own throne by having hidden them away there in the first place. Ramon knew deep down this day was coming, now it was actually here did not mean he liked it.
The moment he was back inside, he sent word for everyone of magical ability to assemble in the dining hall immediately. He knew this would of course take a good half hour or so, and decided to grab a bite to eat whilst he waited; the kitchens were just off the dining hall in any case. His focus of thought however still remained on how he was going to split his inexperienced group. Many of their abilities were not geared for fighting a war.
After grabbing a few pieces of toasted bread and spreading them thickly with butter and preserve, he sat down. He looked on, as groups of three or four at a time turned up and seated themselves down. He was sat at the top table, normally reserved for the masters, and continued eating whilst deep in thought. Quite how he would determine who went and who stayed he had not yet decided. Healers would be needed both here and Denley, any fighting would ultimately make sure there would also be casualties. So deep was in he in thought he failed to notice the room had filled, and it was only Katria seating herself down beside him that brought him back to the task at hand.
Ramon stood and held his arms aloft, and the room fell in to silence. He had decided to be honest about what was happening and what was expected of them. Despite some of the younger magicians being only fourteen and fifteen years of age, they too would be expected to play their part. What he did not want was for his pupils to think this a chance to show off their skills thinking it was some kind of game. This was war, and even if they were successful in winning, there would inevitably be some who would be killed.
He spoke clearly and with a tone, that he hoped showed just how serious the matter was. "Make no mistake," he added, "Those that go to Denley will be outnumbered and the odds will be clearly against you. We do not know whether the enemy has any magicians with them." Despite the warnings, it was clear to Ramon that some of the room were thinking this some exciting adventure. His speech was done, now all he had to do was work how who to send.
With Danton and Darion gone, he turned to Katria for a little advice and asked her to join him for a walk. The elderly lady smiled and nodded, "Please lead on," she said softly. Ramon may have been the man leading the magicians at Pitford, but he was not so proud that he did not need a little advice now and then. Of course, Katria was also the person he had been relying on to keep updated about the movement of both the Mountain folk and the Bosarian forces.
After leaving the main hall and venturing out into the cold air, Katrina gave Ramon the news he had expected. The Bosarians were now barely a day or so away from Denley, and worse still was the Mountain Tribes had started leaving their towns and villages. "I think they will have to take the lower passes," she said, "Because the snows are still too deep higher up. This will mean they are at least a week away from us." Ramon nodded, "I must confess, I am bereft of any plan of action. Oran wants me to send a force to confront the Bosarians. We barely have enough to defend Pitford..."
"Why do you need to split your forces," Katria replied. "If you act now, you can confront the Bosarians and be back in time to see off the tribes," she added calmly.
Ra
mon stopped in his tracks, could the answer be so simple? If the timing was right, they did have a window of opportunity. "You are certain the Mountain Folk are a week away?" he asked just re-affirming the information he had been given.
"I think as they have to take the long route we would be looking at least a week, maybe more."
Ramon turned to the elderly lady, "Thank you Katria," he said smiling for the first time in a while. "I do like our little chats," he added leaning down and pecking her gently on the cheek.
"Always a pleasure Ramon, I'll keep you updated. I assume you will lead the attack yourself?"
"It would only seem right," Ramon replied. "I cannot ask these youngsters to put their lives on the line whilst I stay hidden behind my study desk."
With a renewed spring in his step Ramon headed back indoors, he needed to find Oran and explain his plan. The more he thought on it, the more it seemed the best thing to do. The only drawback of course was if they were to be bogged down with a siege in Denley, and the Mountain folk moved quicker than anticipated. No good thinking of the negatives he thought, Katria's information had given them a chance; he needed to act quickly to make the most of it.
In Bosaria Mikel, Zack and the others were making good progress. After a rather cold night not overly conducive to sleeping, Mikel was feeling a little tired. Darion had been the one to suggest is was now probably a good idea to have Shadow away from the group. Hence, the wolf was moving ahead of them somewhere amongst the tree line.
They had passed close by several villages already that morning; a further sign they were getting nearer the capital Waltham. As they trotted onward, Mikel thought it too good an opportunity to miss to practice the skills Katria had suggested. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Shadow as he had been taught. At first, he saw nothing, but after just a few seconds an image flickered into his mind. He chuckled to himself as he re-opened his eyes to make sure his horse was not veering off the track. Naturally, the beast was moving in the same direction as it had been before.
Having had his first success Mikel wanted to try again. He leaned forward just a little and whispered in Treader's ear, "Just keep on following the others. I'm going to try to link with Shadow, so I'll need your eyes to keep a watch on where we are going," he said. He patted the horse on the side of the neck before leaning back and closing his eyes once more. It took a little longer this time, but once he felt the link between himself and the wolf become one, he saw more images. This time it was a series of pictures, and he realised he was seeing what Shadow was, as he ran through the trees.
This, he thought was totally incredible. Katria had also told him that when he was at full rest he would also be able to at one with the wolf. Not only would he be able to see as Shadow did, but also feel, smell and almost be him. For now though, this progress was still far better than he had achieved in his earlier attempts. The fact he could see everything Shadow was seeing certainly took some getting used to. He could almost reach out and touch the trunks of the trees as Shadow darted between them. The image then changed as the wolf's attention was clearly distracted, and Mikel could see a bird fluttering skyward out of a nearby bush.
Darion turned back to see Mikel grinning with his eyes closed. "What the bloody hells up with him...Is he asleep?" he asked no one in particular. The others turned to see what he was referring too and Melia could not help but chuckle at the sight. It was Zack who spoke next, "Whatever he's doing he seems to be enjoying it, Perhaps we should leave him be."
Mikel could see the world from an entirely different perspective. The way Shadow moved so swiftly between the trees, swerving this way and that, leaping every now and then over fallen branches on the ground. He was just considering breaking his link, when Shadow suddenly stopped. The wolf held its head high as if he were listening and sniffing the air. Mikel wished he had practiced harder and was able to hear and smell what Shadow was seemingly so fixated on; but he guessed such skills would only come in time.
He stayed in the link as Shadow moved forward once more. This time however, it was with more caution as if he sensed danger was nearby. Mikel could feel his heart beating faster, as Shadow crouched low to the ground, taking purposeful steps. The wolf was heading for the tree line ahead of his own position, and he emerged just a little, to see a group of men on the road. Remaining just out of sight Shadow watched as the group of men appeared to be gathered around something or someone on the road. Although Mikel was unable to hear what Shadow could, he could tell the men were clearly shouting or cheering by the way their arms were so animated.
After a few seconds of watching, Shadow edged around, keeping a close watchful eye on the men. It was soon apparent they were all armed and Mikel thought perhaps that they were soldiers, although they appeared to have no uniforms. He then caught a glimpse of what they were gathered round and his stomach churned. On the roadside were the bodies of two men, but if that were not bad enough, one of the group was forcing himself on a young woman whilst the others cheered him on. His first thought was to send Shadow out to save her, but he realised he would only likely be sending the wolf to its death with so many armed men about.
Instead, he quickly broke the link, "Trouble ahead," he shouted.
"See it in your dream did you wolf boy?" Darion quipped thinking he was being witty.
"No...What? I wasn't asleep...I was in contact with Shadow," he replied.
As usual, it was Danton who remained calm, but took the matter seriously. "We cannot go around, we will not get the horses through the trees," he added quickly trying to think on his feet.
The group pulled up, as Danton needed to know more. He turned to Mikel to find the answers. How many? Were they armed? How far ahead were they? He explained what he had seen, and it was quickly clear he was not the only one sickened by it. "I say we teach them a lesson," Darion spoke sensibly for the first time.
"We need to remain discreet Darion," Danton reminded him.
"Oh don't worry I'll make it look as if they never existed," the old man replied nudging his horse forward.
Danton looked to Mikel for backup before turning to Melia and Zack who both remained silent on the matter. "Fine...but we go about it carefully," he finally agreed following Danton.
Mikel had Shadow remain close to where he had seen the men, circling amongst the trees, out of sight, as a predator would normally stalk its prey. The image came to him that saddened him most, "They have killed her..." he said "And are making ready to move on."
It was clear Darion of all people, felt the injustice of it more so than the others did, as he sped up just a little, making the rest of the group do similarly.
"They know we are coming," Mikel suddenly blurted out as he saw the image from Shadow of the men suddenly darting about. Mikel quickly wondered how they had been alerted to their coming; after all, they had not made any great noise in their approach.
Shadow crept back just a little focusing on just one man. He was in his middling years and was stood a few yards away from the others, holding his hand to his head. Mikel saw as Shadow did, watching every detail. Suddenly out of nowhere, a man just appeared alongside the other. "Magician," he said.
Darion suddenly pulled his horse to a stop. "What?" he asked.
"One of them has magic...He can disappear like Danton," Mikel replied trying to keep an eye on his current position and the images from Shadow.
"Ask your wolf to watch that one closely, see if he can pick up his scent...he may be able to help find him if he does so again," Danton suggested.
Mikel quickly did as was asked, sending forth the request to Shadow. The wolf focused on the two men away from the group, and Mikel wondered what they were doing. If one of them could vanish, what could the other do? Could he be a magician too, in fact could they all be? They would have to approach carefully; this was not going to be quite as simple as they first thought.
"Should I go invisible?" Danton asked Darion, now letting the older man take charge of this particular situation.<
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"No...If they know we are coming they will know how many of us there are. Besides if you suddenly vanish then we give away our advantage," he added.
"Which is what exactly?"
Darion shook his head and leaned over, "For the man in charge you are not very bright are you? They do not know we are magicians do they?"
The penny quickly dropped as Danton realised what the old man was referring too.
The group trotted forward, trying to appear as normal as they could. Mikel remained in contact with Shadow, which let them know when they were just a hundred yards away. He forewarned them that the men had hidden themselves in the tree line all except the same two men. Then one suddenly vanished, "He has disappeared again," Mikel said quietly.
"Probably going to move around back of us...Keep your wolf focused on our rear," Danton replied keeping his eyes front.
Mikel nodded and relayed the message to Shadow. He turned his head just a little, knowing exactly where his wolf was, but the creature moved so quickly and quietly he could not actually see it.
