Armies of the Silver Mage (7 page)

“I seen him,” Jeck said after downing the last swallow of ale. “Passed through close to a week ago now.”

“Me too,” said another. Scarn felt his luck shift. Finally.

“Tell me, friend, did this old man say where he was headed?”

“Left right as the storm was brewing. Gilley tried to convince him to stay but he’d have none of it. Said there was important matters needed doing that couldn’t wait. I think he was heading for Relin Werd.”

Scarn had heard enough. He bought them all another round and quickly changed the subject. He ensured they drank more than he, and avoided all talk about his dark past.

Scarn wanted to smile but knew better. Relin Werd was too far to make in a day, even on horseback. The hunt was on! Still, the lurking question of why the Silver Mage had sent a Gnaal here. Was the Mage looking to be rid of him already? Any mage was a foul enemy, and this one went well beyond the constraints of normal fear. He was a terror from the old times, before the devastation of the Mage Wars. Scarn finished his ale and left his companions with their heads on the table.

Keeping far enough away to stay hidden, Tarren followed the dark stranger down the hall. She didn’t like him or what he was doing here. He’d attracted the worst people in town and they all took a shining to him. Her every instinct told him he was dangerous.

Tarren couldn’t put her finger on it, but Tolis Scarn had a foul air about him. He was evil. All of her senses screamed it. The longer he stayed here the more danger the people of Fel Darrins were in. Tarren stayed in the shadows until she saw the candle light flicker under his door. She eased forward to peak through the key hole.

Scarn stood in the center of the room, his back to the door. A large assortment of knives, swords and daggers lay on the table, confirming her father’s suspicions. She’d been taught not to judge people, but Gilley was right. No honest trader carried so many different weapons. She covered her mouth when he removed his shirt, showing her a body covered by scars both old and new. Tarren decided she’d seen enough and snuck back to the common room to clean up for the night. She didn’t notice the door ease open and Scarn stick his head into the hall. Tolis Scarn smiled and closed the door.

* * *

A dozen thoughts crammed into her head, none of them were good. Her heart cried out so loud Tarren found it impossible to ignore. She was convinced Delin and Fennic were in peril. Trembling, she packed her bag. Tarren knew the stranger would be leaving in the dark before the dawn to hunt down her friends. She’d decided to follow him until he got close enough and rush in to give them warning before it was too late. She loathed the thought of leaving home like a thief in the night. Her parents wouldn’t understand. They’d been upset when Delin and Fennic left. This would set them over the top. Tarren silently prayed her father didn’t do something brash, like follow her. He was the last man she wanted to see hurt.

But the task had to be done. Her friends, her love, were in danger and she was the only one not blinded by Scarn’s charm to realize it. No monster of ill favored man was enough to keep her from the man she loved. She would rescue Delin. Finally done, Tarren went and saddled the pony her father bought her a few years back. She waited for Scarn on the outskirts of town. She didn’t have to wait long. The lanky man eased into the stables and left a few minutes later. Dawn was still far enough off to give him at least a league before anyone noticed him missing.

Scarn was near impossible to see in the perfect darkness. She barely saw him when he rode by. Tarren clicked her pony forward. It was all she could do to keep him in her line of sight. She’d never followed anyone before. Sleep wormed through her. She already wanted to go back to bed. But her loyalties went too deep. She loved Delin almost as much as her father and was willing to sacrifice everything for his safety. She drew a heavy sigh, took a backward glance at her town she’d grown up in and followed Tolis Scarn off into the night and whatever adventures lay beyond. She prayed they didn’t last long.

NINE

Row upon row of wooden houses comprised the majority of Alloenis. There were markets and shops and an overabundance of people crowding the streets. Neither Delin nor Fennic had ever seen the like. It was like stepping into another world. Swindlers and conmen worked the crowds while countless pick pockets bumped into the innocent not savvy enough to know better. Alloenis was the major trade center for western Averon. On a normal day one could see Dwarves bartering with Men, Gnomes and the occasional Elf. Today, however, they found dozens of soldiers in the livery of the king.

That in itself wasn’t surprising. Convoys of supply wagons and mounted companies heading east were a constant sight on the main roads. War was coming and King Maelor wanted to be ready for the long winter. Since leaving Relin Werd the boys watched countless columns of cavalry and infantry marching to Paedwyn from the western lands, all dressed in the green and gold of Averon. Oddly enough, there were smaller columns of peasants heading the same way with but one soldier marching alongside them. Fennic instantly labeled them recruits for the coming fight. Some whispered the skies over Gren had already grown dark and stormy. The Silver Mage was moving again. No one was safe. Mounted patrols roved the surrounding countryside from the great Relin Werd to the fringes of Alloenis. Apparently the war was coming much sooner than they thought.

The boys entered Alloenis with mouths agape. The sheer size of the town was overwhelming. Until now they doubted there were so many people in the world. Two and three story buildings lined their view for as far as they could see. The Bairn Hills lay far to the west and mighty Paedwyn was to the east. Gren wasn’t far beyond. Fennic’s hope of understanding the sword and why it chose him lay in finding a scholar or a smithy. If all went well, he’d be handing Phaelor off to the next bearer and be on the way home in no time.

“Dragon scale shields! Only a silver apiece. Made from genuine dragons!”

“Magic potions and powders!”

Delin wanted to laugh. “Can you believe this place?”

“Come see the remarkable two headed man from exotic Antheneon. See what people say can’t exist!”

“This is incredible,” Fennic conceded. “Now I know why father never spoke good of the world. Fel Darrins could never be like this.”

“I agree. We need to be careful here. Someone’s responsible for killing Old Man Wiffe and that crazy Dakeb. They might have beaten us here. I don’t fancy the thought of catching a knife in the back,” Delin said with a shudder. His nerves had been on edge since finding the strange purple stone in Dakeb’s robes.

They’d spent the hours of travel agonizing over the hundreds of possibilities. The stone was by far the most exquisite possession he’d ever come across, certainly rivaling Phaelor in many ways. The biggest problem was not knowing what it was or what to do with it. Fennic offered to sell it when they got rid of the sword but his comment was met with stiff defiance. No, Delin was going to keep it. Nothing was said on the matter since.

“We need to find a place to sleep and grab a bite to eat. I’m tired of eating travel rations and it’ll be dark soon,” Fennic said. “And I don’t think we want to be caught out in the open after dark. Even with the city patrols I don’t feel quite safe.”

It took an hour to worm through the crowds and find the right inn. Most of the ones on the main street were already crowded and growing more so the closer it got to sunset. They were just about to give up when they came across an innocent, if not slightly run down, blue inn with a giant golden insect on the sign. Less than a handful of horses were tethered to the hitch out front and, judging from the sudden quiet, there were few patrons.

“I don’t know what a scarab is, but there doesn’t seem to be too many folk who want to come this way for a night’s sleep. Looks like as good a place as we can find,” Delin said. He scratched his scalp and studied the sign.

Fennic nodded. They didn’t have the money for much else anyway. “Let’s hope it’s safe.”

“Quit worrying. This is your adventure after all.”

The door opened and in they went. The boys were instantly met with the scrutinizing stares of those few assembled.

“Welcome. Welcome my friends. You won’t find a better meal than here at the

Golden Scarab,” said the rotund innkeep. His eyes lit up as he finished drying his pudgy hands. He smelled money.

Delin shook his hand. “Thank you, I suppose.”

“We don’t get much business since the Trader’s Guild added the new road and all those terrible tariffs.”

“I can see that. Hopefully this doesn’t make you too eager to take all our coin,” Delin stated with a stern gaze.

Fennic balked at his friend’s straight forwardness.

The innkeep let out a shaky laugh, patting Delin on the shoulder. “Nonsense. There are plenty of thieves out there to keep a decent man in business. I run a respectable establishment. Besides, King Maelor’s men don’t take kindly to being taken, if you get my meaning.”

His eyes quickly shifted to the table with three men in gold and green.

“But where are my manners? I’m Will Apper. Anything I can do for you, you just let me know.”

“Thank you, Mr. Apper. We appreciate that,” Fennic smiled. He felt like he found a friend for the first time since leaving home, though he couldn’t say why.

Will ambled off, leaving them to find a table on their own. They decided to stay away from the other patrons, almost like the rest seemed to be doing. The crowd was thin and spaced. Judging from the neighborhood the Scarab was in, that seemed the wisest course. Aside from the soldiers, there were four men playing a game of bones and a lone Dwarf off by himself in the far corner. None of them were so much as looking at them now.

Fennic’s jitters towards civilization ebbed slightly. He’d been convinced they were going to be robbed from the moment they stepped foot into the busy city. They ate a meager meal of house stew, filled with chunks of meat they couldn’t describe, and a plate of cheese served with a load of fresh baked bread and sliced pears for dessert. The taste and heat hit the spot and both boys pushed away from the table with their bellies full. They sat and talked for a spell. The soldiers got up and left for their barracks bunks. A pair of young traders came in and enjoyed a similar dinner and left and still the Dwarf sat and watched.

Delin yawned when the doors burst open and a pair of huge men in green and gold entered. One stood with arms folded across his chest and a hand never far from the hilt of his sword. His eyes were dark and narrowed, as if expecting trouble. His partner was slightly shorter and had a more pleasant demeanor. He had fair hair and brilliant eyes and was overly handsome to look at.

“King Maelor of Averon presents greetings,” he announced with a graceful bow. “At this time his majesty is looking for fit and eager men to join the brotherhood his armies have to offer.”

“Recruiters,” Will whispered to Delin while collecting their plates. “Trying to take more men off to fight the mage.”

“Do they come around often?” Fennic asked.

The recruiter went on with a well rehearsed speech given a hundred times already. There was no doubt about his friendly character and alluring charm to the fancies of young men and boys. Fennic wondered how many men he’d already snared into service. At the same time, he wanted no part in a war. Leaving Fel Darrins was bad enough.

Will shrugged. “Often enough I suppose. Don’t let me make up your minds though. The army was never for me, but we need them. The mage would already be sitting on the throne if those men weren’t blocking the way.”

Two men actually got up and went to the recruiters. The Dwarf took it in but made no move. Everyone knew the wars of Men were of little concern for the other races. A massive, double headed axe leaned against the wall behind him. His beady eyes were locked on the bigger soldier. No sooner had they arrived, the recruiters both left, and with them the two newest recruits. Two men in a near empty bar wasn’t a bad deal at all. The door closed and the Dwarf finally moved from his seat. He was halfway back to his table with a fresh mug of ale when he spied Fennic’s sword. Delin and Fennic watched the diminutive warrior carefully as he sat down next to them and returned their stares. Will Apper watched apprehensively from behind the bar. His hand drifted to the truncheon he kept for emergencies.

“Damned soldiers, always coming around to spoil the taste of a good drink I say,” he grumbled in a deep voice. “Fancy you boys didn’t get taken in by all the flowery words.”

“Maybe we have a different agenda,” Delin replied coldly.

“That’s a tricky word. Politicians and thieves have agendas and you don’t strike me as either. I’m Norgen, by the way.” His grip was crushing as he introduced himself properly.

“Seeing how you’re ordinary folk, I’d caution you to keep a tighter eye on your surroundings.”

Fennic feigned a smile. “We don’t know what you mean.”

Norgen laughed. “Yes you do, boy. That fancy sword of yours is going to bring you more attention than you ever dreamed.”

He held up a hand to stop Fennic’s protests. “I’ve been watching you since you came in here. And I don’t like what I see. You two are about as back woods as a Man can be and show it. These people will eat you alive if you keep on. The careful man lives longer.”

“Well Norgen, we appreciate the advice, but we can handle ourselves,” Delin warned.

“I doubt that. You already have too many eyes upon you. These are dangerous times, boys. The enemy has many eyes and ears throughout the west. Even my kinfolk in the Bairn Hills aren’t safe any longer.” He slammed the table hard enough to spill some of their drinks.

Fennic tried to calm him down. “It’s not that we’re trying to get rid of you, Norgen, but we are new to Alloenis and we’ve never seen a Dwarf before, much less spoke with one. This is all still very strange for us.”

“Indeed it does. Indeed it does. But if you wish to keep on you’ll listen to those who offer help,” Norgen replied.

Delin wasn’t so convinced. He’d seen plenty of people like Norgen while sitting with Tarren in the Tavern. “You say we need to be careful and pay attention yet here you are offering all those things you’ve warned against. How do we take that?”