The Slave War

by James E. Wisher

  “We can do it!” Tamsin said, clearly eager to show what she’d learned.

  Callie smiled. Had she ever been that young? Seemed a long time ago. “I knew I could count on you. Tonia, any idea where they should start?”

  Tonia waved her hand to the northeast. “That way. The spirits can’t be more specific. Either that or I just don’t understand what they’re trying to tell me.”

  Tamsin whistled three sharp notes and a shadow passed over the gathering as her hawk came soaring across the sky. The girl closed her eyes to link with the bird and share its sight. Callie loved being able to heal, but she wished just once to share her senses with an animal or spirit like the other bards could.

  “I’m not seeing anything yet,” Tamsin said.

  The hawk was just a little brown dot in the distance now. Callie glanced at Tonia who shrugged. “I’ll see if the wind spirits can tell me where the problem is in relation to the hawk.”

  Tonia hummed and moved her head from side to side.

  “Further out,” Tonia said.

  “I’m nearing the edge of my range,” Tamsin said. “Wait! I see something. There are people in a ship. No, three ships. They don’t have any sails. There are soldiers in armor moving around on deck. I think there are wizards too.”

  “That’s good, Tamsin,” Callie said. “Come back.”

  Tamsin shivered as her awareness returned to her body. “How could there be ships flying through the air?”

  Callie looked once more at Tonia. “Could these be the same ships that raided your new friends’ village?”

  “I can’t imagine another group having flying ships. They used some kind of magic to put an entire village to sleep. If they’re headed here…”

  “We’re in trouble.”

  Leonidas looked down on the Kingdom of Rend as it passed beneath his flying ship. It resembled green flesh with brown veins running through it. Borders, walls, and guards meant as little to him as they did to a bird. When you could just fly unseen over their heads, it made infiltration easy. Pity dealing with the bards wouldn’t be equally simple. Domina had prepared a special powder that would, when deployed over the college, shroud the area in silence. The effect only lasted fifteen minutes, but that would hopefully buy them time enough to grab the little girl and get her well away.

  All of Leonidas’s assets were gambled on this grab going well. His best mercenaries were divided between the three ships and his entire cadre was here as well. Domina and Jax would join him in fighting the bards while Shade and Rondo, mostly Shade if he was being honest, hunted down Ariel. In his mind, he saw everything going smoothly and them escaping with minimal casualties. He also saw it going horrible wrong and everything falling to pieces. Time would tell which vision would prove true.

  “We’re approaching the college,” Domina said from the helm.

  Though still many miles distant, the Bardic College resembled a fortress more than a school. The ships slowed to a crawl just under a mile away. Mindful of what happened with the ranger, they were making an effort not to act contrary to an actual cloud. It was a pain, but hopefully would help them blend in better. Assuming it worked, it should give them the time they needed to disperse the silence powder. Sleeping powder would have been better, but they’d used their entire supply and it took months to prepare.

  “Everyone in position.” Leonidas used the power of his ring to make sure everyone heard his command despite him using his normal speaking voice.

  Soldiers came running up on deck. Instead of the heavy mail they wore when fighting the ape monsters in the north, today they wore light leathers and carried swords rather than spears. No amount of armor would stop bardic magic, but maneuverability might allow them to dodge. That was Leonidas’s thinking anyway. With magic, no one could predict what might happen.

  The last two on deck carried a large covered container to the front of the ship. Leonidas used his magic to put it into the holder in preparation for dispersal.

  “Move us into position, Domina,” he said.

  The ships shifted smoothly, gliding across the sky toward the Bardic College. Even the wind was cooperating, blowing in the proper direction to make it plausible that clouds would be moving the way they wanted.

  So far so good.

  As soon as they stopped, Domina rushed from her position at the helm to join him at the front. Leonidas’s ring could handle the dispersal, but if he wasn’t careful, he risked draining the powder of its magic. That wasn’t a chance he wanted to take.

  Domina raised her hands and murmured a spell. A breeze picked up the powder and carried it in a wide spiral around the castle.

  “Something’s wrong,” Domina said.

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. Some force is fighting my spell, trying to carry the powder away from the castle.”

  Leonidas’s spies had made no mention of defensive wards protecting the college. Either they missed something or… “Damn it! They know we’re here. Look sharp, everyone! We’ve lost the element of surprise.”

  He focused on his ring but there was no spell to absorb. That was the problem with bardic magic. Their abilities weren’t simple spells. They manipulated spirits directly and his ring couldn’t absorb them.

  “I’m losing the powder,” Domina said.

  “Release the spell. We’re going to have to do this the hard way. Everyone gather around.”

  As he spoke, flames streaked up at the ships, splashing against the hull, but doing no real damage. The fireproofing magic was proving worthwhile after all.

  The soldiers all scrambled to join him. Jax would get the soldiers from the other ships down as fast as he could.

  Leonidas couldn’t worry about that now. They needed to get to the ground as fast as possible to disrupt the bards.

  When the last of the soldiers had joined him, Leonidas drew on his ring’s power and lifted everyone into the air, over the rail, and down toward the castle.

  As soon as the group appeared out of the cloud cover, a splash of flame struck the invisible shield protecting them.

  He ignored the weak attacks and kept his descent steady. In the yard inside the wall, bards were sending flames skyward. Others were standing beside huge hounds or earthen giants, ready to repel invaders. Still others stood by watching, their powers unknown, but potentially dangerous.

  There were no little blond girls visible. Ariel was probably inside the keep and well guarded by the most powerful bards. At least that’s where Leonidas would have put her.

  The moment his feet hit the ground, Leonidas lowered the shield and shouted, “Attack!”

  The thirty soldiers he’d brought down surged forward.

  Domina hurled a vial at the trio of students who were controlling the flames that assailed Jax’s descending troops. Before it could strike home, the vial curved away towards an empty part of the yard where it exploded, damaging nothing but a patch of dirt.

  She reached for a second one, but Leonidas grabbed her arm. “Don’t, or the next one might come back at us.”

  Domina scowled, clearly not pleased with his order. Let her not like it. Protecting Domina from her own magic would be too much of a distraction.

  The snarls of a hound from his right drove out thoughts about Domina. Leonidas turned to find a mastiff running right at him, jaws agape and saliva flying.

  A single thought and flick of his wrist sent the dog’s head flying one way and its body another. One of the bards screamed and collapsed. She must have been tightly connected to the beast when he struck it down.

  The earth at his feet started to wrap around his ankle. More spirit magic.

  He focused on the source and soon found it. A line of power ran from the ground to a young man twenty yards away.

  A blast of crimson energy streaked out from Leonidas’s extended hand, reducing the bard to dust.

  With nothing threatening him at the moment, Leonidas took a moment to study the battlefield. Half his troops had fallen along wit
h an equal number from Jax’s group. Counting the ones he’d killed, ten bards lay dead or dying on the ground. There was no sign of Shade or Rondo. They must have infiltrated the keep already. Hopefully the guards inside didn’t slay Shade. He was a useful ally.

  Five soldiers ran screaming from the battle.

  Looked like he needed to get more aggressive if he wanted to end this quickly.

  Chapter 11

  Seven neat graves had been dug in the vegetable garden. The prisoners each stood in front of one. Yaz and his companions, along with two men covered in whip marks rescued from the barn, stood behind the prisoners. Now came the hard part. What Yaz was about to do wouldn’t win him any points with Brigid, but he needed to find out who had the stomach for what was going to happen and who didn’t.

  Yaz drew his dagger and walked over to Agatha. Even though she was draped in one of Card’s spare cloaks, she still trembled in the cool afternoon air. Yaz doubted the temperature was the main cause of her distress.

  “After what was done to you,” Yaz said. “You have the right to strike first. Card’s life is yours.”

  He offered her the dagger. She looked at the weapon then into Yaz’s eyes. “I can’t. Please, I just want to go home.”

  Yaz nodded. “I understand. I wish we could all go home. But without the dragonriders, the valley isn’t safe. The Kingdom of Rend has offered us safe harbor. If you wish to go, you’ll be safe once you cross over.”

  He gave Agatha’s arm a squeeze and guided her over to Brigid who gave the woman a hug and led her away. There was no need for her to watch what was about to happen.

  Yaz turned to the other two slaves and offered the blade. “You’ve been his servants for longer than Agatha. If either of you wishes it, this is your chance for revenge.”

  The two men looked at each other. Given their similar bone structure and skin tone, Yaz wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they were brothers. The only really distinguishing characteristic between them was one had had his nose broken at some point. It bent about fifteen degrees to the right and whistled when he breathed.

  Broken Nose shook his head, but the other slave stepped up and accepted the dagger. “This son of a bitch will never take a lash to anyone ever again.”

  He reached around, put the edge to Card’s throat, and ripped it back. Blood sprayed and the slave owner collapsed into his grave.

  Yaz took his dagger back and clapped the man on his shoulder. Now to do some sorting. “I need six volunteers.”

  Yaz looked each of the villagers in the eye and waited to see who would step up. Hopefully they’d realize this wasn’t a game and would be keen to return to Rend. Much as Yaz appreciated what they were offering to do by coming with him, such a big group was more a hindrance than a help. Ideally six would step up and the rest would return across the border.

  Mutters grew louder when no one stepped forward at once. Finally, Allen drew his own dagger, shifted up to the next man in line, and put his weapon to the soldier’s throat.

  The blade trembled.

  At last Allen lowered his weapon. “I can’t do it. Killing a man in battle is one thing, but this feels like murder.”

  “It isn’t murder,” Yaz said. “It’s war.”

  He took three long strides to join Allen behind the first soldier. Deep in his mind, Yaz’s conscience screamed that what he was doing was wrong. And maybe it was. But if they were to have any hope of success, someone had to do the hard things.

  Wrath grabbed his shouting conscience and threw it in the closet. Black ice locked it away. Yaz doubted it would emerge for a long time.

  Yaz met Allen’s troubled gaze with a hard, pitiless glare. He reached up and cut the soldier’s throat. Then the next one and the next, until all six had joined their former commander in the dirt. Yaz cleaned his dagger in the grass and sheathed it.

  He had everyone’s attention now, that was for sure. Time to get a few things sorted out.

  “Do you all understand now?” he asked. “This is what we’re in for. There’s going to be blood and death before our friends and fellow villagers are free. Maybe a lot of it. I need six men to join us and help with the newly freed. Anyone that doesn’t think they can do what needs doing should return to Rend. It should be safe enough if you go to one of the smaller crossings.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Allen said. “I might not be able to kill in cold blood, but I can fight.”

  Yaz put a hand on his shoulder. “The others look to you as their leader. Getting them safely across the border is the most important thing you can do. We’ll be sending more all the time. Keep them together and organized. A lot of them will be scared. I’m counting on you to take care of everyone on that side.”

  Allen nodded. “I won’t let you down again.”

  Yaz offered a tired smile. “You didn’t let me down the first time. Being able to execute someone isn’t something to be proud of. I’m not proud of the blood I’ve shed since leaving home. Frankly, I doubt there’s enough soap in the world to wash it all off. Be glad you’re not stained yet.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way. No one will forget what you’ve done for us, Yaz.”

  “Thanks. Now, let’s see what we can find for supplies.”

  As Yaz and Allen walked towards the barn, half the villagers set to work burying the bodies. Allen was right about one thing. He doubted anyone that saw what he did today would ever forget it.

  Chapter 12

  All around Callie men and women were fighting and screaming and dying. Her bards were badly outnumbered, but if it was just a matter of numbers, the invaders wouldn’t have presented a problem. The three wizards that accompanied the soldiers were the problem. One in particular. A tall, regal-looking man in a black robe that struck her people down whenever he looked in their direction. That bastard needed to go.

  A man in leather armor ran at Callie, sword raised and shouting curses.

  She chanted a low dirge and reached out with her gift.

  At some point in the warrior’s past he’d suffered a broken leg and a serious cut to his right shoulder. Callie’s magic brought those wounds back in an instant.

  He crashed at her feet, blood running from underneath his armor.

  She turned away from the writhing figure. Healing was so much more satisfying than wounding. She’d hoped to never have to use her power like that again. Like it or not, these people had brought war to her house. Damned if she’d hold back.

  Callie turned and marched across the yard toward the man in black. If she could defeat him, the others would be easy.

  Ten paces away her dirge began. The magic streaked out, looking for any injury to get a hold of. Inches from him her power vanished like a pebble in a pond.

  He turned and when their eyes met Callie saw her death. The crimson ray that had slain so many of her bards lanced out at her.

  An instant before it could strike, a wall of stone sprang up between them. The wall exploded, sending Callie flying.

  Someone caught her before she could hit the ground. “You okay?” Tonia asked.

  “Barely. Has it been long enough?”

  “I don’t know, but if we don’t make a break for it, there won’t be anyone left alive to flee.”

  Callie nodded. “Raise the veil.”

  Tonia rushed over to one of the earth spirit callers and they worked together to summon a huge cloud of dust that filled the yard, blinding the enemy and giving them a moment’s reprieve.

  Everyone knew the signal and bards began streaming toward the keep. Callie fell in with the crowd, pausing at the door to make sure everyone made it in before the doors were sealed. Not that she imagined a simple wooden door, no matter how well made, would delay the wizards for long.

  Tonia was the last one to arrive and the moment she was past, Callie started to close the door. Through the gap she caught a final glimpse of the black-robed wizard. Their gazes locked a second time, just for a moment, then she slammed the door shut. A pair of t
he bigger students dropped a heavy bar across it. As if that would make any difference.

  “Quick now,” Callie said. “Make for the emergency tunnel. Fire callers, conjure us a light.”

  Callie led the way through the halls. She would have liked to linger and take a final look around. Somehow it felt like she might never return. She shook off the useless emotion and picked up her pace.

  When they reached a wall hanging featuring horsemen chasing goblins she stopped and pulled it down. Behind it was a seemingly blank wall. Callie touched three stones one after the other and a door slid aside revealing a set of steps leading into the darkness.

  A floating ball of fire flew down ahead of her. Once the way was clear, Callie set out. An earth caller would seal the door behind them, but she held out little hope of it slowing her pursuers.

  The booms, crashes, and screams of battle were muted by the keep’s thick stone walls. Shade led Rondo up a flight of steps to the second floor. Rondo wouldn’t have been Shade’s first choice as backup. In fact, he was about the worst choice if it came to a fight, but he knew what this dragon girl looked like, so the boss insisted Shade take him along, to make sure no mistakes were made.

  The ground floor had been a bust, lots of classrooms, a dining hall, and no people. Not so much as a hint of their target. The boss had been certain that the kid would be here somewhere, protected by some tough bards. Shade had never fought a bard, and it didn’t look like this was going to be his day either. Today looked to be one of the rare times the boss was wrong. Shade had sharp ears and he hadn’t heard a peep since they snuck inside during the initial assault.

  Still, they had to check everywhere. Telling Lord Black that they had been anything less than thorough would be bad for their health.

  “Shade,” Rondo whispered. “There’s a closed door up ahead.”

  Well, well. Maybe things were looking up. “Keep your distance. I’ll check it out.”