I rounded the corner just as a second arrow thudded into a tree to my right. The archer was pretty good. Maybe I should tell him to speak to Borlan about mercenary work if he ever got tired of fishing for a living.
When I came running around the corner, the rest of the team stopped what they were doing and stared at me for a moment. They then burst into action. Swords and daggers were drawn in a chorus of hissing steel. Sulana stepped forward as I approached. "There's a bank of fog covering the village. The villagers are gathered to defend it," I panted in explanation.
Sulana looked around me and down the road. "Where's Ebnik?"
"He's still behind me somewhere," I answered.
She asked me how the villagers were armed. I told her I couldn't tell, but that there was at least one archer. I explained how Ebnik had shielded me from an arrow before disappearing again. She placed a hand on my shoulder and mumbled thanks to him for his quick thinking. Then she grimaced and warned me that an archer was too dangerous to be left standing. She told Daven to ready his bow. He nodded and his face went grim as he complied.
Right then, a shout came from behind me.
"There they are! Outsiders!" The villagers came around the curve in the road and charged.
The village archer held back and readied a shot, and Daven did the same, taking aim at the other bowman. But as the villager raised his bow to fire, his arms suddenly went slack and the partially-drawn arrow released uselessly into the ground at his feet. The bow fell from his hands and he stood with his arms at his sides. Daven aborted his shot as well and tossed his bow to the roadside before pulling his sword.
I scanned the forest edge along the road at the corner and spotted Ebnik between the trees. He stepped toward the bowman, but that was all I had time to see before the other villagers were upon us.
Our numbers were even, but our skills and equipment were not. Jake the wagon driver was armed with a short sword, and Sati's husband Edanos led the charge with a pitchfork. The rest of the villagers were armed with fish knives. I would have laughed if it weren't for the way they ran toward us. A screaming mob with weapons gripped tightly in their hands isn't amusing.
Barek stood at the leading edge of our group, and Edanos went straight for him with the pitchfork. Barek let him come, turned sideways, and drove the pitchfork into the ground with a powerful downward stroke of his sword. On the return swing of his arm, he stepped into Edanos and drove his elbow into the man's face. Barek's blow knocked the smaller man senseless. Edanos dropped the pitchfork as he fell backward, crashed to the ground, and lay still. Barek leaned over Edanos and harrumphed.
The other villagers streamed into our midst.
Sati went straight for Sulana with a feral scream. Her knife was raised high in her fist as she ran toward us, her eyes blazing with fury. Although Sati had a height and weight advantage over the smaller woman, her attack was uncontrolled and she didn't have years of training to hone her reactions. With a sweep of her forearm, Sulana knocked aside Sati's knife arm as it came down, and tripped Sati as the larger woman's momentum carried her forward. Sati hit the ground and rolled over quickly, only to find Sulana's sword tip at her throat.
Jake came after me. I easily deflected his first swing and the return stroke he aimed at my legs. We exchanged blows a few more times, getting a feel for each other. He was a better fighter than I would expect for a wagon driver, but no match for someone with my experience. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he hesitated as he looked at my amulet. I had forgotten that the Member enchantment of my amulet was still active. I took advantage of his confusion to knock aside his sword and drive a kick hard into his chest. He went down on his back and I stepped on his sword arm, placing the tip of my sword against his sternum.
His amulet was right there in front of me, lying on top of his shirt. I reached down and grabbed it. He started to struggle as I did so, but I looked into his eyes and increased the pressure of my sword point. He glared up at me and bared his teeth, but he dropped his head back to the ground in surrender. I focused briefly on the amulet and disabled it, as I had Meldon's. It was far easier to do the second time, particularly since I wasn't struggling for every breath.
While Jake reeled with the disorientation of being released from the amulet's spells, I looked around to see if anyone else needed help.
It was over.
Ebnik had made himself visible again and was back among us, disabling the amulets of the villagers who were either unconscious or subdued by one of the members of our group. Sulana was kneeling next to Daven, who was sitting on the road holding one of his arms against his chest with blood seeping from a nasty cut along his forearm.
I released Jake and kneeled next to him. "Are you all right?" He gave me a weary nod. I stood and extended a hand to help him to his feet. He looked down at his amulet as if seeing it for the first time. "Let's get that thing off you," I suggested. He took off the amulet with fumbling hands and handed it to me. I didn't know what Sulana planned to do with the amulets, but I was certain she would not want them loose among the mundane population.
I carried the amulet over to Sulana where she was helping Daven clean the cut on his arm. Daven winced in pain as she dabbed at the blood with a white kerchief that was already stained deep red. "We need to clean and close this wound," she said. She looked up at me. "Could you get the tall brown bottle and the implement case with a red dot on it from the left side of my saddlebags? Quickly?"
I nodded and jogged over to Sulana's horse. The mare was still a little skittish from the brief battle. She danced away from me a couple of steps, but I calmed her with soothing words and petted her neck. The horse settled down and let me rummage around in Sulana's saddle bag.
The tall brown bottle was obvious, and the label identified it as brandy. I found two implement cases, more like pouches really, made of stiff leather with a flap buckled across the front. I selected the one that had a prominent red dot on the flap and jogged back to Sulana with the items she had requested.
She took them from me with a distracted "Thanks," and uncorked the brandy. Looking up into Daven's face, she asked, "You ready for this?" He nodded and gritted his teeth in anticipation. Sulana put her thumb over the opening of the bottle to allow just a thin stream to pour out into the cut on Daven's arm. He jumped and sucked his breath in through his teeth when the liquid made first contact with the gaping wound. Golden brandy stained orange with blood flowed over his arm and dripped to the ground next to his leg. He swayed as she moved the stream down the cut. With her free hand on his shoulder, Sulana steadied him.
I went around behind Daven to help support him, but Sulana looked up sharply at me. "This isn't over. Let me work on Daven. You and Ebnik still need to deal with Paeter. He could have more nasty surprises waiting for you, so be careful." Talon walked over to us as she spoke, and took position behind Daven to lend a hand in my place.
I hesitated and then stepped back out of the way. Her orders made sense, but I didn't want to leave her side while she and Daven were so close.
I looked around and saw Ebnik walking toward me with several amulets dangling from the chains he held in one hand. He dropped them to the ground next to the implement case and observed Sulana's ministrations briefly. Then he turned to me.
"The element of surprise is lost, but we still have to deal with Paeter Thoron." His eyes scanned through the group around us and settled on Barek. Barek, who had been watching, acknowledged the wizard's look with a short nod and jogged over. "I'd like to take Barek with us."
"I'll go," said Kefer from behind me. He stepped forward, a hand on his sword hilt.
Ebnik shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I think it would be best if we take someone who has experience dealing with sorcerers."
Kefer looked disappointed, but nodded his head. "I guess I'm not that eager to face Lord Thoron again any time soon anyway. He and that orb of his captured me the first time without a struggle. I'm not sure how to fight someone like that. And I'd r
ather not have to fight Peltor after all we've been through together."
I snorted. "I won't have any problem dealing with Peltor." Kefer grimaced, probably imagining the worst. "Don't worry, I don't plan to kill him, just take him out of the fight."
Kefer nodded and said, "Try to remember that Peltor is a victim, just the same as you and I."
"I'll remember, but you know the amulet hasn't done anything to improve his attitude toward me," I said. Kefer looked at the ground and nodded again.
Ebnik took a deep breath and straightened to his full height. "Well, then...let's go see what Lord Thoron has in store for us."
***
I took the lead since I knew the layout of the village and would have the easiest time navigating in the fog. Ebnik raised a Veil around all three of us. We were able to see and hear each other, but the sights and sounds of the forest blurred and dimmed. The sensation was similar to what I had experienced when Sulana had broken us through the healer's Ward. But this time I was able to observe the effects of the Veil by itself.
We debated whether or not we should deactivate my amulet. On the one hand, leaving it active would allow me to pinpoint Lord Thoron's and Peltor's positions, assuming they were still wearing theirs. If they had removed their amulets, Lord Thoron would have had to come up with a different way to control Peltor. On the other hand, deactivating my amulet would allow us to approach without them being able to pinpoint my position. In the end, we decided I should deactivate it until we got into the village. I could always reactivate it once we were closer.
When we rounded the corner in the road, we discovered that the fog had thinned to grey wisps. We continued down the road and stopped where the village opened up before us. The place was empty, except for a few last drifting puffs of fog. The door to the ice house was open, but I saw no sign of Peltor or Lord Thoron. I motioned for us to circle around in front of the huts to come at the ice house from the side.
Before we reached the third hut, the door opened slightly and a woman's face peered out. She glanced around the village with darting eyes. The whine of a young girl's voice came from the room behind her, and someone else shushed the girl. Thinking back on the brief battle with the villagers, I realized that two of the village women had been absent. These two women must have been left behind in the hut to keep an eye on the three village children.
The woman at the door stared hard at us, sensing our presence in spite of the Veil. Later, Ebnik told me that a Veil becomes less effective when you cover more people with it.
Barek took charge of the situation. He stepped out of the Veil, and the woman's eyes widened when he appeared right in front of her. She squeaked and started to shut the door, but before she could get it closed, he shoved his way into the hut. We heard muffled screams of "Outsider" and the sound of a brief struggle. A moment later, Barek poked his head out the door with a smirk on his face and showed us a pair of amulets dangling from his hand. He motioned us to move on, indicating he had things under control in the hut.
My vision and hearing sharpened suddenly, and I turned to see that Ebnik had dropped the Veil. I looked at him curiously, and he explained quietly. "If they are still here, and I'm beginning to doubt that, they'll have heard the racket and know where we are anyway. Go ahead and activate your amulet."
I did as he suggested...and found nothing. No one else was wearing an amulet within range of the Member spell. But that didn't mean they were really gone. "I can't sense them," I informed Ebnik.
Ebnik narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his casting orb as I drew my sword. He motioned me to lead on with a tilt of his head, and we continued to sneak toward the ice house.
We reached the side of the ice house and edged our way around to the front. Everything was quiet. Ebnik whispered into my ear. "I'll put a Shield on the doorway so you can step across in front of it and get a quick look inside." I nodded in agreement, and he raised his orb. He concentrated for a moment, and then a buzzing noise started near the door opening. He patted my shoulder to signal me the Shield was in place.
I moved across the front of the ice house in a crouch and paused at the doorway to glance around the interior. I was ready to dive aside if necessary.
There was no need. The ice house was empty.
I stood slowly and squinted into the dim ice house. Something was piled on the stone block that Lord Thoron had been using as a workbench, but it was covered by the blanket he had used to warm Sati during her Contribution Ceremony. Ebnik saw me straighten at the doorway and came forward. After a quick glance inside the ice house, he dispelled the Shield. After the buzzing of the Shield had stopped, I noticed a low hum emanating from within the ice house. I stepped through the door and down the short steps to pinpoint the source. Ebnik followed me in.
The sound seemed to be coming from the pile on the stone block. And the sound was growing in pitch and volume. Ebnik looked at my face and asked, "What is it?" I opened my mouth to tell him, but the sound was climbing in pitch rapidly and I decided I didn't have time for explanations. I turned and grabbed Ebnik's arm to push him out of the ice house. "Get out of here, now!" I shouted.
Ebnik had the good sense to not question my orders and we both scrambled up the steps and out through the door. Behind me, the sound was reaching deafening levels. I dove to the side and hit the ground with Ebnik following my lead.
The noise from the ice house was becoming painfully loud. I considered trying to crawl further away when a concussive force coughed out of the doorway and knocked the breath from my lungs. The shock wave was accompanied by a loud boom that shook the ground and knocked bits of thatching from the roofs of the other buildings. The top of the ice house blew off in an arcing cascade of tumbling timber lengths and drifting thatching. Thankfully, the higher stone walls at the front and rear of the building directed most of the material to the sides, away from where Ebnik and I had thrown ourselves. Chunks of glass and tatters of cloth spewed out of the ice house doorway to thud and flutter to the ground behind us. One piece of glass rolled and clunked against the bottom of my boot.
I looked over at Ebnik, who was up on one elbow looking back at the ice house. "Are you okay?" I asked him.
Ebnik stood and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. "I believe so. It seems Paeter left us a present."
Barek ran over to us as I was getting to my feet. The two village women stood at the doorway to their hut, holding back the wide-eyed children who were staring open-mouthed at the cloud of smoke and dust that floated from the roofless ice house. We reassured Barek that we were unharmed and walked over to check out the damage.I was amazed that the structure was still standing. The mortar had failed on a couple of blocks, and they had shifted out of position in the wall, but otherwise the thick stonework appeared sound. The interior was a mess of glass shards and bits of cloth. The walls were peppered with crushed pieces of glass which sparkled from the light coming in through the now open roof.
I noticed an unfamiliar acrid smell in the air and heard Ebnik sniff as well. "Nicely laid trap," he said with admiration. "I probably triggered it when I raised the Shield. It smells like he used Flash Powder. It's risky to carry around, but makes for a spectacular parting message."
Flash Powder made sense. When it was encased in a container, igniting it created an explosion. At one time, men had tried to use it to create weapons that fired a projectile, but the stuff was notoriously easy for enemy sorcerers to ignite from afar, which made it dangerous to keep nearby.
Ebnik smiled at me. "It's a good thing you are a sound Sensitive," he said. "Paeter covered the device with a cloth, so I was unable to see the manifestation, but fortunately you were still able to hear it. Otherwise, that would be us scattered around the ice house."
I shuddered at the grisly mental image. "I'll add that to the score I need to settle with Lord Thoron. We should go after him before he gets too far. Can you track him with sorcery?"
Ebnik waved his hand in dismissal. "He's long gone under a Veil b
y now. I'd need something of his to track him with sorcery, and although this cloth might have done the job, the explosion will have cleansed any signature residue that might have remained within it. I'm sure he had this escape planned from the moment he arrived here."
Our conversation was interrupted by cries of despair as the villagers came running down the road into the square and saw the destroyed ice house. Sulana and Talon ran over to where Barek, Ebnik, and I were standing, looking us over for injury as they approached. Daven followed at a slower pace, favoring his injured arm.
"Thank the spirits," Sulana gasped out as she approached. "I was afraid you'd all be dead when I heard the explosion."
Ebnik placed a hand on my shoulder. "We probably would be if not for Jaylan's quick thinking. He heard the manifestation before it blew up and hurried us out of there just in time."
Sulana narrowed her eyes and surveyed the damage to the ice house. "Paeter has a lot to answer for."
Chapter 25
The villagers crowded around the ice house, mumbling words of dismay. Edanos kicked one of the scattered glass chunks, cursing sorcery in general and Lord Thoron in particular. The rest of us got out of their way and gathered near the stable.
Sulana asked Edanos and Sati to join us. She still had questions about how the situation with Lord Thoron had come about. Edanos declined, saying he had to help the others clean up and plan the restoration of the ice house. Sati stayed with us and told us what happened.
Sati explained how Lord Thoron and another man had come to the village by boat a couple of weeks earlier. They initially claimed they were in Buckwoods to buy fish, but the second man grabbed one of the children and held a knife to the poor little boy's throat. The two men had used the threat against the child's life to coerce the villagers into accepting the amulets they had brought with them. Lord Thoron proceeded to set up shop in the ice house with the help of the villagers. The second man left the village as soon as Lord Thoron was situated, and he took the boat with him.
The Vaetra Chronicles: Book 01 - Vaetra Unveiled Page 21
