A Coursing Passage (A Life of Magic Book 3) (29 page)

Raven unwrapped the bundle and sat there a moment. There were a few knives of unusual shape in sheaths and also rolled papers.

"Please leave them all sheathed for now, out of respect for the local law. But know that each knife is of the highest caliber. The papers go along with the knives, showing how they are to be used and all of their history. This should be the next level of skill that you will be working towards, correct?"

Raven nodded and moved the knives around, looking at each handle. "I still have a few more steps before I reach this level."

Zack nodded, "I figured as much. This way, no matter where you go, you may continue improving. We need more masters in our ranks." He stood. "I must be on my way. There is also a few things that will help you reach your mastery in the bundle. Take your time to look through each paper." He nodded to the rest of us and left.

Raven bundled up the knives and papers again and tucked them into her sack. "Should we get moving?" Her voice was gentle, the tone she used when emotional.

Stain stood and nodded towards the guard beside the door. "We should since our business is at an end." He led us to the doorway and the guard followed us out. "We are ready to leave." Stain told Mavish.

Mavish nodded, "I will see you out of the gate. I am glad your visit has been mostly uneventful." He turned and led us through more crowds, heading down through the city back to the gate we had used to enter the city. The crowds parted around us like water and we were a boat. People looked at us but paid us very little attention. Soon we arrived at the gates. "Here we part ways. The guards on top of the wall will protect you if you are set upon within reach of the wall. Past that you must rely on your own defenses." He bowed gently and then ordered his men away.

Stain nodded, "Time to leave." He stepped through the gate and we left Shadow's Edge. The cleared area was empty of any people. We made our way up the path and into the woods. Soon we would be back at the campsite.

***

"It is about time you all showed up." Tulip exclaimed as we entered the camp. The wagons were packed up and all the animals harnessed. "We were ready a while ago." She shook her head and climbed aboard her wagon.

"We did hurry you old goat." Stain called up at her as he walked past her wagon. He sounded upset, but the smile on his face belied that idea.

"Old goat huh?" Tulip leaned around the side of her wagon. "I believe you might be more of an old goat than I am." She had a fierce grin on her face.

Stain turned around and laughed. "I guess we can move out now?"

"Everyone is ready. We just finished harnessing up the last animal." Amelia came around the back of her wagon. "Where do we go from here?"

"Back down the main branch and on past Shadow's Edge. There is a tavern down a ways that is popular with the kind of merchants that we need to seek out." Tulip sat back down and her wagon started moving slowly.

Stain walked over to Tag and Evins to talk for a moment. Raven and I climbed up onto the driver's seat. Raven checking the goats before getting the wagon underway. Within moments of entering camp we were leaving once more. We drove the rest of the day, enjoying the scenery. As time passed we grew ever closer to the mountains and soon rode in the shadow of one of the peeks that loomed high above us. The road wove through patches of cleared land and forest. Occasionally we would drive past a farmer working in his field. Some waved, others just watched. The wavers always smiled. The watchers seemed worried. It was one such watcher that suddenly waved and put both hands up in complex shape. Tulip called out a halt and climbed down from her wagon. The farmer walked up to the road.

"A healer is with your group?" The grizzled old man asked in a voice that could have risen from the very earth itself.

"Yes. Do you need healing?" Tulip asked the man.

He shook his head. "Not me, but my son's wife. She is in a bad way." He pointed off across his fields towards a small cabin. "They live there. She needs help beyond a farmer's knowledge." He looked around at our group. "We are poor farmers with no gold. What can I do to gain your help?" His voice shook, full of emotion and despair.

Stain walked up to the farmer. "What is your name sir?"

The old man looked at Stain, "Errock. You are the healer?"

Stain nodded, "I am. Let us talk to the young lady. Mayhaps we can provide some help." Stain motioned our group to divert down a path towards the cabin. Soon we pulled up beside the small wood and dirt structure. "Raven, Ott... join me please." Stain requested as he followed the farmer. "If the rest of you would prepare to camp for the night?"

Tulip looked surprised but nodded. They started moving the wagons into a circle and setting up camp.

Stain led us into the cabin, where suddenly it was very crowded.

"What have you done?" A young man stood barring the way, despair in his voice. "You have ruined us!" He grabbed his father by the shoulders, weeping loudly.

"Silence son. Have faith in me once more." The farmer gently pushed his son to a set against the wall. "These are Wanderers. Not any of those from the city." He turned to Stain. "She is in here." He led us deeper into the cabin, through a doorway that guarded a stairway downwards into the earth. The son stayed sitting, crying into his hands. The farmer headed down the stairs. "I hope you might help her. She has been bad off for so long." He finally stopped and turned. "We have to keep her in here. Those of the city would lock her up or kill her." He opened the door and led us into a stark room. It was lit by lanterns secured to the ceiling by chains. Only a chair and a bed sat in the room that had obviously been a root cellar at one point. Sitting on the bed was a woman. She looked up at us and smiled.

"It has been a long time since I have had guests." She stood and raised her hands. We could feel magic leap into the air, dripping from her hands. "Now you will stay forever." The magic lashed out at us, attempting to pin us against the wall. Our shields lit up and sparked as her magic flew around us. The farmer stood there, untouched by the magic. He looked at us and nodded.

"I thought that might be the case. She was stricken with the sickness when her magic awoke. It has been three long years. She sees everyone as a danger. Only myself can come and go. I am a null." He looked at her, still trying to harm us. "I believe the magic is what caused the sickness. Is there anything you might do?"

Stain looked surprised and walked over to the woman. He placed his hand upon her brow and spoke gently. I could feel his magic wrap around her gently and she suddenly passed out and fell to the bed. "A simple sleeping spell, so we might figure out how best to handle this situation." He turned to the farmer, "Would you fetch your son?" The farmer nodded and climbed the stairs. Stain looked at us and shook his head. "If the farmer is right then there are very few options. I have seen this before, when someone's mind is lost because of the magic. It occurs sometimes, but usually they destroy themselves before anyone realizes what is occurring" He looked down at the woman, "In very few instances a cure does work. I will need you two to help me shield, to work any magic upon her will risk opening my shields." The farmer returned with a shocked son.

"She did not kill you? Did you kill her?" He was shocked and terrified still.

"She simply sleeps. Now, I have some questions before we can help her." Stain sat the young man down. "Perhaps it would be best for you to tell us how this all occurred?"

The son took a deep breath, "I guess so. When we first were married we were happy. No magic had yet shown itself. With our parents help we built this small cabin and established a small farm. Just enough for us to get started in life." He looked up at us. "We might be poor, but we had a good life. Then one day Tabby told me she was pregnant. We celebrated. We had talked about having children. I made arrangements to get a milk cow, to help Tabby be strong and the baby grow big and healthy." His expression grew haunted, "She was halfway through the pregnancy when she fell down the stairs. A loose board caught her heel. She lost the baby the next day. We cried, Tabby was devastated." He looked at Stain. "I blame myself, I had put off fixing the board so long. It was my fault that she fell, that the baby died." Tears flowed down his cheeks. "Weeks went by and Tabby grew quieter and more withdrawn. She stopped talking on the day the baby would have been born. That very night things started moving by themselves. We figured earth tremors were the cause. Soon things would fly off shelves and strike near Tabby. Eventually we had to face that Tabby was causing all the destruction. For her safety I keep her in this cellar. She has yet to hurt herself, but anyone who tries to help dies. We had a healer come by who claimed to be able to heal her. I buried his body behind the cabin, beside the baby. Only my father is able to enter. She threatens me when I try. She screams that she is death, that all around her will die. It has been that way for three years." He leaned back and dropped his head. "I have given up all hope."

Stain kneeled down in front of the son, "I might be able to help her. Magic can cause these kind of problems. What was she like before her pregnancy?"

The son smiled wearily, "She was a strong woman, quick with her wit. Not gentle but not mean."

Stain nodded, "I need both you and your father to stay upstairs while I help her." He helped the son rise. "You might hear nothing or a lot. No matter what do not come down until called." The son nodded and left.

Stain stood up. "Basically what has happened is the pregnancy and the loss of the baby has caused her magic to manifest. For it to be ripped loose in such a way caused damage to her thinking. If we can heal the damage and take away the magic she can possible heal." He looked at both of us. "This is going to be like cutting off a limb that has no chance of healing. I will burn her magic out and turn her into a null. Then her body might be able to heal." He turned towards Tabby. "Be ready to shield me if she awakens."

Raven and I stood to either side of Stain as he pulled hard on his magic. He put his hands over Tabby's head and allowed his magic to drip into her. It dug deep into her mind and worked slowly through all the channels that allowed magic to be controlled. He reached deeper and burned those areas until no magic could ever flow through her mind again. He passed his hands above her body, allowing more magic to seep into her, healing and restoring it to good health. It seemed as if mere moments had passed when he finished, but by the sweat on his brow it must have been much longer.

He stepped back. "She is no longer able to handle magic. There was physical damage from the lost baby that I also healed. We must awaken her to see if she is better." His magic swirled outwards and set down onto her. Her eyes fluttered and she stirred.

"What happened?" Her voice sounded different, softer. "Where am I?" She looked around in fear.

Stain sat in the chair. "My name is Stain. Your husband and his father asked us to help heal you." She looked at Stain in shock. "Do you remember what happened?" Her eyes widened and tears flowed down her cheeks. She nodded and started shaking. Raven sat beside her.

"It is okay. You will get better from now on." Raven wrapped her arm around Tabby.

"Ott, call them down please?" Stain sounded tired.

I nodded and walked out of the room. I called up the stairs and the two men approached carefully.

"Is it done?" The son asked.

Nodding I led them into the room. Both hesitated at the doorway. Tabby cried all the more at the appearance of her husband. He went to her, holding her in his arms.

Stain stood, "I removed all magic from her. It had festered and eaten away at Tabby's mind. It will take a long time until you feel normal. However, you are now able to heal and can not harm anyone."

Errock smiled, "I am glad I stopped you. Only Wanderers have such skill in our land." He hugged Tabby and his son. "Come with me now, let them be for now." He led the way up the stairs. Upon reaching the upper room he turned, "Like I said, we are poor. What do you require of us?" He was grim but determined.

Stain shook his head, "I will make no demands beyond what you are able to do. You are the best at judging what would not be a hardship to yourselves." He walked to the doorway. "The only requirement I do have is that no one knows of us or our skill."

Errock nodded, "I will praise how she woke up healed one day. It must have taken a long time for that sickness to wear off." He smiled and went back down the stairs.

We left the cabin and took deep breaths of the fresh air.

"Well?" Tulip asked. "We felt you doing something below us. A root cellar I am assuming?"

Stain nodded, "A rabid mage, caused by the loss of a child before it was born."

Tulip's face drained of all color, "Did it require another life to be lost?"

Stain shook his head, "Purging the magic seemed to restore her to herself. Time will tell."

Ruth chimed in, "We have a meal ready. After that level of magic you will need it."

Stain agreed and we sat to eat. Later, once the food was eaten and the meal cleaned up, Errock asked permission to enter our camp. He walked up to the fire and sat down.

"We owe a debt that we can not pay." He looked around at each of us. "You do not need anything we might provide, but a debt must be paid." He handed a small package to Stain. "The only thing of value that I can use to pay off such a debt." He then stood up and walked away.