Artesans of Albia

by Cas Peace

  Suddenly they were dueling in earnest and Taran watched spellbound, envious of their casual control over power he could scarcely dream of. His admiration increased as he saw a demonstration of skills he had only read about in his father’s notes. Fascinating as it was, he felt some satisfaction when Robin, by now perspiring freely, panted, “Major, enough.”

  She didn’t heed him. Staring at him, her own eyes huge and black, Sullyan warned, “Robin, I am not playing now.”

  “Watch out,” said Bull urgently to Taran, “you’d better shield yourselves. I’ll take care of Rienne.”

  Taran felt the big man throwing a shield of metaforce around Rienne, but he and Cal were left to their own precautions. Swiftly, they raised their inner shields and just as well, for what followed was the most vicious sally of offensive moves Taran had ever seen.

  Sullyan moved about the arena with cat-like grace, catching Robin off guard on more than one occasion. Her attacks used the full powers of Earth, Water and Fire and soon the young man was in trouble. He was perspiring heavily from the sustained effort of defending from her attacks while still trying to launch his own. Eventually, he staggered, cried out, and went down.

  Immediately, Sullyan abandoned her attack. “Robin!” she exclaimed, running to him and crouching by his side.

  The young man leaped abruptly to his feet, surprising the Major. Taran gasped as a glowing network of fiery lines appeared around Sullyan. Crackling and snapping with power, the glowing net formed a cage, surrounding her completely. Robin stood off, panting for breath. One hand was clenched to his chest but a smile of triumph lit his eyes.

  Bull slapped his knees and cried, “Well done, lad.”

  Taran’s eyes were popping with amazement; he had never seen or heard of anything like this before. “What on earth is it?” he asked Bull.

  “Firefield,” said Bull as he dropped the shield he’d been holding over Rienne. “He’s been waiting months for a chance to use it.”

  Sullyan stood within the fiery cage. Her face was unreadable, her pupils huge. Slowly, she stretched out one hand, only to snatch it back when the glittering lines of power sparked in reaction. She put her hands on her hips, her enormous eyes fixed on Robin.

  “So,” came her lilting voice, “playing with Fire now, are we? What a nasty little trick that is, Robin, using my love for you against me.”

  “Maybe,” panted Robin, “but who taught me?”

  “Did I?” she said, turning within the cage to inspect its construction. “Then you learned the lesson well. Your power and control are growing.”

  The Captain smiled.

  “But Robin, did I also teach you this?”

  Fast as a striking snake, she threw back her head and flung her arms out with a snapping gesture. The cage shattered into tiny glittering pieces that hissed and dissolved on the grass.

  The violent disruption of the Firefield and the resulting jolt to Robin’s already depleted metaforce caused the Captain to give a small cry of pain. He sank to one knee. Free now, the Major approached him and kneeled beside him. Laying her hand on his hair, she stroked it lightly.

  “You have done well today, Robin, very well indeed. I am proud of you. Let me help you regain your breath.”

  “I’m fine, Major,” protested Robin but Sullyan insisted.

  An amber glow appeared briefly in the air between them. Taran saw Rienne lean forward. He frowned, realizing she had recognized the healing it contained. He noticed Sullyan was watching her also, her dilated eyes narrowing speculatively. The aura faded and Sullyan helped Robin up.

  His face had lost its ashy paleness and expression of pain, but his breath was still ragged. The Major regarded him a moment, her hand on his arm.

  “Did you see how I broke the Firefield?” she asked. Robin nodded, too out of breath to speak. “Then let this be your final test of Fire. Learn the technique and you will be confirmed a Master.”

  She stepped away, collected her sword and left the arena, moving effortlessly as if she hadn’t just exhausted two men with her power. Robin stared after her and Taran was astounded to see that his dark-blue eyes were filled with tears.

  Bull stood and pounced on him, enveloping him in a crushing bear hug. Coughing, Robin pushed the big man away.

  “Get off me, you ox,” he gasped. “I can’t breathe.”

  He collapsed onto the bench next to Taran, fighting to control his breathing while struggling with his emotions.

  Bull was grinning foolishly. “I told you all that extra coaching and practice would pay off, didn’t I? That was very clever of you, making her angry like that. She’d never have fallen for it otherwise.” He slapped the Captain’s back. “I’m so proud of you, lad.”

  Robin shook his head, bemused. “I still can’t believe it’s going to happen. Mind you, it’ll take me months to learn that snapping trick. I can see the mechanics of it but channeling the power won’t be easy.”

  “You’ll get it,” said Bull and Robin shot him a smile.

  They rested in the sun while Taran eagerly questioned Robin about the Firefield. A movement across the arena caught their attention and a young cadet ran toward them. He stopped in front of Robin and saluted.

  “Major Sullyan sent me to find you, sir,” he said. “She wants you in her office. All of you.”

  Robin frowned at Bull, who shrugged. “Better go,” he said, waving at Taran. “Come on.”

  They trooped out of the arena and headed back to the Major’s office. They heard murmuring voices inside and before Robin could knock, the door opened. General Blaine strode out.

  Robin and Bull snapped a salute. The General returned their homage before continuing down the hallway, but he ignored Taran and his friends. As he entered the room behind Robin and Bull, Taran saw Sullyan poring over a stack of parchments. She glanced at him briefly before addressing Robin and Bull.

  “General Blaine has received some disturbing reports, gentlemen. It seems a sizeable party of raiding Andaryans has crossed the Veils and is terrorizing the southern part of Loxton Province. Two towns have already been evacuated and three villages have been burned to the ground.”

  Bull swore. Taran turned deathly pale.

  “This is getting out of hand,” said Robin with a frown. “What on earth’s going on?”

  “I intend to find that out, Captain. I want you to detail scouts to investigate.”

  “Yes, Major. Dexter in command?”

  “You agree he is ready?”

  “He’s ready. He won’t let you down.”

  She nodded. “Give him orders but allow him to select the rest of the men himself. Report to me later.”

  She turned to Taran.

  “Journeyman, I must ask you to forgive my lack of attention to the matter that brought you here, but as you can see, events have overtaken us. However, if you can spare us one more night, I should have time to speak with you this evening. Will that suit?”

  “Of course, Major. We’d be glad to stay. Is it alright with Bull?”

  The big man indicated his acceptance. Sullyan nodded to him and he ushered everyone out of the office. As he led the way back along the corridor, he gave Taran a pointed stare before turning to Robin.

  “This situation with the raids sounds pretty serious.”

  “It certainly sounds odd,” agreed the Captain. “Why would the Andaryans suddenly break a Pact they’ve held for more than twenty years? The scale of it just doesn’t make sense.”

  “You know what demons are like,” said Bull. “Revenge is as good an excuse as any.”

  Robin shook his head. “Surely this can’t just be over the theft of a weapon. There must be some other reason, something extra. Burning villages? Driving townspeople from their homes? That’s not just raiding, Bull, that’s war.”

  Bull grunted and shot Taran another glance. The Journeyman went cold; he was sure he knew the reason for these terrible attacks but had kept quiet too long to simply blurt it out.

  They were n
early at Bull’s rooms. Suddenly Taran realized that the man coming toward them was the sour young captain from the commons last night. He was flanked by the two men who’d been sitting with him.

  Robin scowled. “Damn it, it’s Parren. Just what I don’t need.”

  Taran saw the warning glance Bull threw Robin but the sour man was too close for any cautionary words.

  Parren halted before them, pointedly eyeing Robin’s sweat-stained clothing. His own leathers were immaculate.

  With a sneer, he said, “You look a little disheveled, Tamsen, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  “I do mind, Parren. You’d look disheveled if you’d just gone three rounds with Major Sullyan. Not that you’d last that long.”

  Parren’s flat eyes narrowed. “And how is the Queen of Darkness today, still suffering nobly? Surely a fine young man like you could think of a way to take her mind off it? No? Then perhaps I should give you a few tips. Or maybe they would be wasted. Word is, you’re just not up to it.”

  His two companions sniggered.

  Robin went white. Unobtrusively, Taran gestured for Rienne and Cal to step away.

  “You keep your filthy comments to yourself,” the Captain snarled. “How dare you talk about the Major like that? You wouldn’t have the courage to say it to her face, you treacherous snake.”

  “Calm down, Robin,” hissed Bull, but he was too late.

  “Did you just call me a coward, Tamsen?” drawled Parren. “I’d say that was slandering an officer’s character. That’s a calling-out offense.”

  “Come on, Parren, you’re going too far,” said Bull, moving between the furious Robin and the arrogantly smiling Parren. “You goaded him.”

  “Keep out of this, old man,” spat one of Parren’s men. Taran noticed his corporal’s insignia. “You might get called out, too.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” snapped Bull. The threat in his eyes quelled the corporal but Parren wasn’t done.

  “What’s the matter, Tamsen? Sending your lap dog to fight your battles for you? Not so cocky, are you, when you’ve no skirts to hide behind?”

  Taran saw Parren’s other companion, a sergeant, make an obscene gesture, implying Robin’s lack of manhood. His mate sniggered again.

  Two spots of color flamed dangerously in Robin’s cheeks. “I’m not afraid of you, Parren, I never have been. If you want to settle this, I’m perfectly willing.”

  “Heard and witnessed,” said the corporal.

  Bull groaned and shook his head. “Oh, you young idiot. You had to let him get to you, didn’t you? All that control gone to waste.”

  “He’s had it coming, Bull, and I’ve had enough of his foul remarks.” Robin glared at Parren. “Name your time.”

  The sallow man glanced out the window, a smirk on his lips.

  “Two hours, Tamsen,” he drawled. “I’ll give you that much time to rest. Wouldn’t want to take unfair advantage after you’ve been, ah … sparring … with a woman.”

  He sauntered off, his two men swaggering behind. The corporal turned and leered at Rienne while the sergeant made another obscene gesture. Its import was unmistakable and Rienne shuddered. Taran drew her away.

  The silence was strained by the time they reached Robin’s rooms.

  “I must freshen up before I give Dexter his orders,” he said. “Can’t go like this.” He cast a glance at Bull, who was glowering. “Well? Are you going to second me this afternoon or not?”

  “Yes of course I am,” said Bull. “Someone has to sweep up the bits when you are done with them. Just make sure the Major doesn’t hear of this. She’d slice off your nuts and feed ’em to the rats if she knew.”

  “If Parren doesn’t do it first,” said Robin. He disappeared into his room.

  Bull led the way into his suite. Shutting the door firmly, he leaned against it and stared at Taran. The Journeyman thought he knew what was coming, and he was right.

  “You know more than you’ve let on about why there are suddenly Andaryan raiders overrunning the southlands,” growled Bull. “Use the washroom, freshen up and change your clothes. Then I want some answers and I warn you, Journeyman, I’m in no mood for evasions. I’ve just seen enough of that to last me a lifetime. Now go wash and think very carefully before you come out.”

  Dismissed like a naughty child, Taran did as he was told. He was perfectly ready to tell the whole story. The entire affair felt like it was quite out of hand and he needed to know that someone in authority—someone with the power to act—knew all the facts. He wasn’t going to enjoy the experience, though.

  When he emerged wearing a clean shirt and breeches, he saw that Bull, Cal and Rienne were all seated around the fire. His two friends had closed expressions on their faces and Taran regretted leaving them alone with the implacable Bulldog.

  The big man hooked a chair over with his foot and imperiously waved Taran into it.

  “Sit,” he ordered, “and talk.”

  + + + + +

  Twenty minutes later, he was outraged.

  “You killed him?” he roared, leaning forward. “You actually killed an Andaryan noble? Oh, you bloody fool, what on earth did you do that for? Who was he? Tell me his name.”

  Taran flushed. “I don’t know,” he said, “we weren’t introduced. It happened so fast. I was trapped into accepting the challenge, Bull. I had no intention of killing him or desire to, but he was obviously bent on destroying me and they weren’t going to honor the contract. What choice did I have?”

  “What choice? What choice? You bloody idiot, if you’d followed the correct procedure, taken a second as witness, and put all the proper restraints on them, they would have had to honor the contract. You’re supposed to be a Journeyman, don’t you know anything?”

  Suddenly overwhelmed by guilt, fear and embarrassment, Taran snapped. Years of struggling to teach himself, years of pain and frustration, failure and danger, boiled to the surface. He jumped to his feet, startling Bull, and his eyes blazed as power surged within him.

  “It’s all very well for you sit in judgment,” he yelled, “you’ve had it easy. All this experience and guidance around you. All the support you could possibly want. You have no idea what it’s been like for me. No idea how hard I’ve had to struggle to gain the least bit of knowledge, squeezed by dint of my own sweat and hardship year after year. I should be Adept at least by now, if not Adept-elite, but what chance do I have? How can I possibly achieve my potential? How can I satisfy this thirst for knowledge and control?”

  Fatigue washed over him and he sat heavily. With his arms resting on his knees, he hung his head.

  “I know I’ve been foolish. I wish to heaven I could undo it. I’m sure it’s because of me that those poor people in the south have lost their homes and maybe their lives. But done is done and can’t be undone. I have to live with that.”

  Hearing Bull shift, he raised his head. The big man was giving him an evaluating look.

  “Yes,” he said, “we all will. Let’s just hope we can.”

  He rose and crossed to the table, where the bottle of fiery liquor sat. He poured a shot into a glass and passed it to Taran.

  “I’m sorry, Journeyman. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you. You’re right, it is easy to forget how fortunate we are and I sympathize with anyone who has talent but no way of refining it. If it’s any consolation, I can tell you that you’ve impressed the Major. Knowing her, she’ll be keen to see you advance.”

  Taran was astonished. “The Major is impressed with me?”

  Bull smiled. “Oh, yes. That little episode in the arena earlier proved it. She hasn’t tested anyone but Robin for a long while now and that alone speaks volumes for her interest. I don’t know what it is about you, but mark my words. She’ll not see talent like yours go to waste.”

  Before Taran could take this in or reply, Bull glanced out the window.

  “We’ll have to leave it there for now, I have this ridiculous duel to witness. You’ll get the c
hance to go over it again tonight when we meet in the Major’s rooms.”

  He paused, including Cal and Rienne in his gaze.

  “I’ll warn you now to be on your best behavior. This is a very rare occurrence and you’re all very privileged. The Major guards her free time jealously, but she obviously thinks a lot of you. Just mind your manners.

  “Now, I really must go and make sure our idiot Captain comes out of this with all his bits intact.”

  A thought seemed to strike him. “It might be wise of me to arrange independent witnesses to this. I’ve known Parren a long while and I don’t trust him. I wouldn’t put it past him to try something underhanded. If I showed you where to wait, would you be willing to watch for us in case it goes amiss? I can hardly claim impartiality if it goes to a martial court.”

  Taran glanced at the others. “Of course we will. You don’t really think it’ll go that far, do you?”

  “It could. Who knows with that reptile Parren? We’d better get going or I’ll be late and that won’t improve Robin’s chances. I just hope to the gods the Major doesn’t get wind of this or she’ll have his balls. Oh, pardon me,” he said, glancing at Rienne.

  She smiled. “Don’t mind me, I’m a healer, remember? I’ve probably seen more balls than you’ve had hot baths.”

  He snorted. “Yes, you probably have. I just hope we don’t need your skills before the day is out. Let’s get you hidden and then I can go and support Robin.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Bull led them up a trail through the woods. It wound for some way before he slowed. The afternoon sun was beginning to lose its warmth and the light was dimming as he showed them a stand of shrubs where they could hide. Judging by the footprints on the ground, they weren’t the first to use this vantage.

  “Don’t reveal yourselves while Parren and his second are here, no matter what happens,” Bull warned them. “Once it’s over and they’re gone, I’ll call you and we can all go back together. Hopefully, Robin will beat him quickly, but if it looks like there might be trouble, let us handle it. Your impartiality will be compromised if you try to help.”