by Guy Antibes
Trak finally sat down. “Maybe we should go to Bannin, as far away from here as possible.”
“We could do that, once we have stayed a bit on Cokasan. Colcan has permanently stationed spies all over Santasia, but none in Mozira or Gorinza, now that Sunbeam is back and none with the Toryans. Do you feel a bit better now that we’ve talked all of this out?”
Trak ground his teeth. “I don’t know if we’ve talked it all out, but I’ll not be deserting my magic and I have no desire to end my life. Is that acceptable to you?”
Ben chuckled at Trak and rubbed his hair. “It doesn’t have to be acceptable to me, just to you. Now I want you to show me how you moved that quarry rock. I promise not to tattle to anyone.”
~~~
Chapter Thirty-Seven
ASEM AND KULARA LOOKED ACROSS THE SITTING ROOM at Honor. Trak’s aunt did not look very happy.
“Is what Trak did so bad?”
Honor ground her teeth. “You have to understand us—“
“I have worked with Berin and Leaf in the past. I understand your aversion for those who have great power. That’s why you promote your innovators to positions of leadership and not teaching. It is a form of madness, you know. Most cultures develop aversions, in some cases the aversions amount to madness. We have a tribe in the desert that cuts off the index finger of both hands when their children attain adulthood. It makes all in the tribe docile. They make horrible fighters and Marom left them alone when he created the army that captured Balbaam twenty-five years ago. I don’t see much difference here.”
“It is much different,” Honor said. Her face turned red. She was smart enough to draw the proper point of the example.
“Ah, I see. You and your precious towers. They mean more to you than any defense or offense. When you realized that he could topple the towers, he had to be put to death.”
Honor’s eyes widened. “I didn’t vote for his death!”
“Who voted on the Board? Rasia?”
She looked down at the rug beneath her feet. “I did, but I didn’t vote to kill him!”
“At least you told Strength before that scout facilitated your nephew’s death sentence. What will you do now?”
Honor’s eyes glistened with tears. “I need you to help me save him.”
Asem sat back. “Why should I save the boy? If I bring him back here, he faces another death sentence. What about Strength?”
“He’s an old man,” Honor said.
Kulara snorted. “He looked vigorous enough to me. Has he even seen sixty yet?”
“Barely,” Honor admitted. “He’s more like Trak than his own son.”
“Good!” Asem said. “I say we let them go. With Trak’s potential and Strength’s ability to teach, I suppose Trak will mature just fine.”
“Then you won’t help me?”
“We help Trak by doing nothing,” Kulara said. “Just pray to whatever you people use for gods that he won’t come back. If it were me, I’d topple the towers out of spite, I would.”
Asem saw the anger flash in Kulara’s eyes many times before. It made her even more exciting to him. “You are not Trak, my dear, and for that I am very, very grateful.”
Honor relaxed just a bit. “What of Valanna?”
Asem was glad she changed the subject. “Misson Dalistro has her safe and sound in Espozia. That is good enough for now.”
~~~
Chapter Thirty-Eight
PRINCE NEZ GRINNED WHILE HE STOOD over the sleeping form of his father in the dark of the bedroom. He drew the long curving knife that all desert tribesmen wore and plunged it down into the slumbering body.
“Now I rule all of Warish and soon, all of Pestle,” he said quietly.
“Your mother will be very disappointed,” a voice said, coming from behind a billowing curtain. Another figure, a magician, most likely, lit a lamp and let the flame illuminate the bedroom.
Nez found himself surrounded by five of his fellow Ferezanan tribesman. His stomach dropped and the prince felt like he was about to vomit. He looked at the man in the bed and saw Merchez, his friend, with his eyes open in the shock of death.
“You will be judged by these five of your fellow tribesman,” his father said.
Nez fell to his knees, his knife clattering on the stone floor. “No. I was forced to do it!”
King Marom stood over his son. “Forced? You are so stupid. Did you think I wouldn’t monitor any messages sent to you? Unfortunately, I know my oldest son and you have shown me the nature that I have denied for years. I have not been able to discover who so easily suggested that you take my life, but as you know, your life is forfeit.”
“It was Asem. He talked me into this.”
Nez’s father shook his head and pursed his lips. “Asem is on another mission. He wouldn’t leave something like this to you.”
“What say you?” King Marom looked at the others in the room.
“Death,” they all said, nearly in unison.
“I am sorry I must do this, blood of my blood.” Marom said, drawing his sword.
“No!” Nez noticed the tears in his father’s eyes as the last thing his own ever saw.
~~~
Chapter Thirty-Nine
DALISTRO RUSHED INTO THE HOUSE, his coat smelling of smoke.
“The Ozitzans have invaded Estia. There are battles at the docks. There are many more of them than there are of us and the magicians, cowards that they are, sit in the guild, refusing to come out to defend us. Riotro couldn’t be more transparent.” Dalistro spit on his own foyer floor in disgust.
“What will we do?” Valanna said.
“My father has pulled out all of the aristocrats to fight the rabble and some have already fled south. The guard will push them back into the river, but they will be back. The real question is will the magicians come out of their guild and fight on behalf of the Ozitzians?” Dalistro stood and gathered his breath. “We are looking at a civil war. I have sent birds to Gorinza and Mozira. More birds will go out from all over the south for a muster. Those two cities understand how repressive a government of magicians would be. ”
Valanna felt trapped in Espozia for the first time. “Should I pack my clothes? Are we going to have to flee?”
Dalistro looked at her with an impatient gaze. “It wouldn’t hurt to pack a bag with essentials and keep it ready. We have time, but you are right, it’s better to be prepared. I will do the same. I will instruct the staff to let no one into the house, except for my father, once they return with food enough for a week or two.”
“Can we trust the servants?”
“I didn’t think of that. I will have my valet dismiss any he feels might fall prey to the nonsense spread around by the Ozitzians.”
She felt a bit relieved that she could think of something that Dalistro didn’t. She would also carry a weapon with her at all times, even in the house.
“I will have something to eat and then return to fight at the docks. I am a competent enough swordsman,” he said as he passed her, walking towards the kitchen in the back.
Valanna rushed to her rooms and went through her clothing. The frilly court dresses that Sereni insisted that Dalistro buy for her would be of no use on the road. She pulled out a few sturdy dresses, a cloak that could double as a blanket and two sets of riding clothes. Trousers would allow her to run.
She opened her jewelry box. Most of it was on loan from Dalistro. Perhaps they had been his mother’s. She would ask him where she could hide it, but she did find the item that she would definitely take with her.
The wand had been a present Asem had bought her at a shop at the Bitrium College. Unlike the wands she had used in Pestle and Warish, the Colcanans used metal clad wood. She swished it back and forth and then she laid it down and began to run over poses and power words—all that she knew. If they had to flee, Valanna would use her own weapons.
Her magic couldn’t be used except as a last resort, for the Magicians Guild would take her if she did. She
sat down, tired from her work. It felt good to practice magic again. She wouldn’t hesitate to use it when they fled.
~
Ben brought in enough fresh supplies to last a few days. Ben walked back to the kitchen in the comfortable villa. The woman who owned it had let it deteriorate and Trak had thrown himself into bringing the place back to life in the past three weeks. He hadn’t forgotten the skills his adopted father, Able, had taught him in maintaining a living space.
“I’d like to be able to help you in town,” Trak said, sitting while Ben put the groceries away.
“No. There are some in the guild, who might have seen you. I’m just an old man, when I choose to be, bent back and feeble. No one notices me, but that is beside the point. There is a revolution going on in Espozia. The have-nots have erupted.”
“I was caught in Ozitza once. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. How bad is it?”
“A wave of them came across the river into the better side of the city, but were soon forced to return. The Magicians Guild remained neutral. That is a violation of their oath to the Council. Once the magicians fight on the side of the Ozitzians, the Estians will be easily defeated.”
Trak got to his feet. “Valanna is there! We have to save her.”
“You would risk too much going north. We should take a ship south to Bannin or west into the mountains.”
“No! I need to do something useful. Something useful to me and that is to go north and make sure that Valanna is all right.”
Ben nodded. “I left a few things on the porch. You might want to take a look at them.”
Trak ran to the front door and opened it. A sword in the Espozian style and a longish knife with a similar hilt leaned against the wall. Trak spotted a small pointed blade underneath the other two weapons. Trak brought them in.
“You knew I couldn’t resist going to Espozia.”
Ben smiled. “You need to go. I couldn’t just let you go without a fight. I also know you’d be more comfortable with some additional tools.”
“You’re coming with me, right?”
The old man shook his head. “No. I may be spry for an older man, but I’m no fighter and I will not use my magic against another human being, unless my life depends on it.”
Trak showed him the smaller knife. “This is meant to be my wand, right?”
“You are perceptive. I chose that knife since it has a lot of metal and it is a straight point. If you have to use your lightning or fire spell, it will spew destruction in as straight a line as a good Colcanan wand.”
“Walking around with a wand in my hand wouldn’t be prudent, would it?”
“Not for a headstrong youth such as yourself. We will have a visitor in an hour, after we have eaten our midday meal. I thought you might need to spar a bit to get a feel for the longer blade.”
Trak grinned. “Excellent.” He gave the man an unexpected and exuberant hug. “Perfect. Now I need to learn how to use the disc to fly to Espozia by myself. I thought I would install straps for my feet.”
“Straps? I see. Both poses use the same leg stance and if you experience any sudden winds, you won’t slide off. You are an Innovator, but how will you maintain two spells at once? See, it’s not so easy.”
“I’ve been thinking about calling it a flying disk. It wouldn’t matter what shape the bottom is, right?”
Ben nodded. “Feel free to make it any shape. The lighter, the less magic power it takes to move it.”
“Right. Rather than use the telekinesis spell to keep the disk aloft, I’ll use the lift spell to take it to a certain height and then the wind spell moves me, just like the two of us used to get over the mountains.”
“Oh, I never thought about that. You would have to move from the wind spell to the levitation spell, but if you go high enough, you won’t have to change your elevation very much.” Ben’s eyes crinkled. “Good thinking!”
Trak grinned. “Three straps. One for each foot and one to tie down my pack.”
~
Ben helped Trak get his supplies ready and found the leather straps. He let Trak nail them in to anchor the straps to the wooden disk.
Trak packed and repacked until he heard a knock on the door. He put on his sword and knife before he answered the door. Pipa, one of the boys in Gio’s school, stood in front of him.
“Trak! I didn’t think you made it out of the Magicians Guild. No one ever escapes.”
“Don’t worry about it. I have a friend in Espozia staying at Misson Dalistro’s house.”
“A Pestle woman? I have heard of her. Estia has become a very dangerous place, Trak.”
“I know, but I can’t leave her there.”
“We’ll be heading out to go north tomorrow morning. You can just wait overnight and come with us.”
Trak shook his head. “I’ll go on my own. Anyway, it’s been quite a while since I’ve sparred with a sword. I need a little practice.”
“I had no idea you were the one the old man wanted a partner for. I think you’ll be okay without practice,” Pipa grinned, “but you’ll be so much better with a session with me. I’ve improved since we last crossed blades.”
“Then let’s see. I’ll do a few warm up forms.”
Both of the young men practiced. Trak kept an eye on Pipa’s forms and couldn’t tell much difference from Pipa’s technique at Gio’s school.
“Ready,” Pipa said.
They sparred for an hour and in the end, Trak ended up working to improve a few of Pipa’s techniques. He had done enough to cut away the cobwebs.
“I’ll see you in Espozia?” Pipa said.
“If we meet there, I might have failed.”
~
Valanna put her bag of things next to the door along with the bag that Dalistro had left. She heard a knock at the door. She peered through the peephole to see Dalistro’s father standing at the door, his face overwritten with anxiety.
“Come in,” she said as she let him in and looked around the small grounds that separated the house from the street.
“Riotro has finally thrown his weight into the revolution. But despite the re-training”—retraining was Garono’s term for the loyalty spell all magicians were put under—“there is fighting among the magicians on the guild grounds. I don’t think we will endure this. More Ozitzians have crossed over the river since Riotro’s declaration. My son has finally persuaded me to flee to the south.”
“When will Misson be here?”
“He won’t. We are to take his things with us. He will meet us at the ship.”
“Ship?”
Garono shook his head. “Most of the vessels are burning in their berths all along the Estian docks, but my son has managed to take his personal ship downstream a few miles to a small village. We take a boat hidden on a navigable stream on the east side of the city that empties right where the ship is.”
Valanna nodded. “Is there a secure place for your family’s valuables? We shouldn’t take them with us.”
He smiled wanly. “There is a secret storage place. I will gather some of our better things. What did you have in mind?”
“I think Dalistro lent me some of your wife’s jewels.”
“By all means. Let us hide them. Who knows what might happen? The boat might capsize or we could get captured by the rebels. Quickly, we must eat what we can and leave.”
Valanna and Garono collected a few more items that had the most sentimental value.
The older man looked through the jewels, kneeling in front of a fireplace in an empty servant’s room. “Some of these have been in the family for generations. I am happy you thought to save these.” He looked up at her with watery eyes. “I must get out of my melancholic mood.”
He removed a brick from the side of the fireplace and reached far in to pull on something. A panel opened at the side of the fireplace. Valanna helped him stack the valuables along with others that already were in the hiding place.
“Even if this house burns to the ground, this
section of the house is all stone.” Garono said as Valanna helped him to his feet.
“We must leave.”
They entered into the street while people ran one way or another. At least Valanna didn’t see any magicians. Nevertheless, she had her wand in a pocket she had sewn in the plain dress that she would pull out and use, if she had to.
The streets began to become less crowded as they moved in the opposite direction from the docks.
~~~
Chapter Forty
TRAK SPED HIGH ABOVE THE TREES, his dark gray cloak flapped in the wind. He could see the silver ribbon of river that split Espozia further to the north. He decided to enter from the eastern side, away from the streams of smoke from fires on the docks.
A ship stood at anchor off from a little village a few miles from the city, but he flew on towards the city, following the little river that he knew would take him to the city’s edge. He stopped the wind spell and lowered the disk to a little clearing a hundred paces or so from a dirt road that must lead into the city.
He threw some brush over his disk and shouldered his pack. Flipping up the hood of his cloak to hide his light-colored hair, he walked to the dirt road that came from the capital and cut a blaze into a few trees along the edge of the track. If that ship was an escape route for highly placed Espozians, then Dalistro and Valanna could well be on this road.
An occasional group scurried past him heading east. None seemed to be going towards the city. He looked for Valanna, but felt disappointment that none of them were Pestlans.
~
Garono held Valanna back from crossing a busy lane at the edge of town. A group of men dressed as servants were roughing up people in the middle of the street. One of them noticed Valanna.
“Look, a Pestlan!” the man said. “Let’s have some fun.” The rebels seemed to have quickly turned into a mob. The city would be destroyed if that happened, but Valanna’s next thought was self-preservation. She drew her wand from her dress and held it at her side. She assumed the wind position as the men approached.
