Stranded Mage (33 page)

“What has happened?” Thad asked breathlessly once he had caught up with the elders.

“Just the man I didn’t want to see,” Jonas said sneering.

“A large force of the Brotherhood is less than a half a day behind us and catching up fast. At their current speed they will overtake us sometime tomorrow morning,” Illias said, a grave look etched on his face.

“We need to ditch everything on the carts and put every person who can’t move fast on them. We can’t afford to let possessions cost us our lives,” Thad implored.

“So be it, though I doubt that will save us much time,” Horus said as he began to bark out orders to those around him.

“I need a horse, a fast one,” Thad said hastily.

“What do you intend to do with the horse? Plan to run off and leave us behind for the slaughter?” Jonas asked spitefully.

“Jonas I have never left people behind who needed help. I plan to ride back and do everything I can to slow down their advance. If you march through the night by late tomorrow you should reach the border. The queen has already stationed a sizable force there so you will be safe.”

“Soraes,” Horus yelled so loudly Thad feared his ears would never work right again.

A young man on horseback rode up beside the cart. “Give this man your horse and help get everything off the wagons that aren’t nailed down. If anyone complains tell them they are more than welcomed to carry it themselves but we won’t be slowing down for them,” Horus said in a commanding voice.

Thad wasted no time, as soon as Soraes dismounted he threw his leg into the stirrups, swung up into the saddle, and raced off. Before leaving the caravan Thad found Roger and got an eight foot length of rope. His friend was a little curious why that was needed but he simply smiled and raced off in the direction of the approaching army.

With his right hands on the reins Thad touched his earring with his left. “When we reach our destination I will call down a lot of magic. When I go limp on your back can you make your way back to the others?” Thad asked as he nervously began tying himself to the saddle.

“If you desire I shall run with all my might but don’t blame me if you fall off. You humans tend to have a weak grip,” the horse replied seriously.

“I never expected animals to understand so well. Are all horses as intelligent as you?” Thad asked suddenly curious, though he suspected it was more his mind trying to find an excuse to keep from thinking of what lie ahead of him.

“We are all different yet the same,” the horse replied.

To pass the time as he rode Thad tried to figure out the magic that made the earring work. He didn’t believe he was hearing the animals words per se, but getting their base responses and the earring just translated them into terms he would understand and vice versa.

When Thad got his first glimpse of the Brotherhood army he dismounted and watched them for a short time. They were moving slowly yet still at a much faster pace than the caravan. As he watched them it was easy to see they had put out an advance line and none of those in it seemed to enjoy the task. Looking around Thad could see that more than a few soldiers were wounded and more than a little nervous. So the traps had worked but not well enough it seemed.

When the horse seemed rested, Thad rode down the small hill to meet the coming force. Cries of alarm went up through the force as he approached. Thad watched as bows were raised and readied all aiming in his direction. Thad wasn’t sure if they could reach but he saw no reason to risk it. Saying a trigger word a shield enveloped him and his horse ensuring their safely should any flying projectiles come near.

Reaching up, Thad touched his earring again. “If they fire at us don’t move about. We are protected from harm,” Thad said confidently.

“I shall stand here for as long as you need,” the horse replied proudly.

At first the soldiers held their ground watching Thad. Every second that passed without movement Thad considered a win for the caravan. When it was clear hewasn’t going to move Thad began hearing loud barking commands and the force began to cautiously move forward.

“Have any good ideas?” Thad asked Thuraman sincerely.

Run comes to mind, other than that you need to scatter them. Only one out of every twenty soldiers has a white sword so maybe the trick with the fire horse might work. It sure made the Ablaians run for the hills.

“A good as plan as any I suppose,” Thad replied lifting his hands above his head and testing the magical currents around him. Illusions were easy to create, they were just a manipulation of light, add a little flame and energy to them and they could even become deadly.

With the help of his staff two life sized horses wreathed in flame and blue glowing light appeared in front of Thad and rushed toward the soldiers less than three hundred yards away. The distance forced Thad to expend a bit of extra magic but with Thuraman’s help it wasn’t unbearable.

Thad watched as the horses ran through the advanced line and into the main force trampling soldiers and setting them ablaze. It didn’t take long before the white swords had taken both of the apparitions down but not before they had done their damage. As soon as the officers regained control of their men a hail or arrows rose into the sky and rained down on Thad like an afternoon sun shower. Noticing that their enemy was left uninjured the soldiers on the front lines began to slow, far less eager to face the deadly mage as they had been only moments before.

Opening a large sack of rocks that he had collected while he had waited on the horse to rest Thad began firing down on the enemy. He didn’t take the time to aim there were so many that it became pointless. More than half of his stones found a target and even those that missed caused the soldiers on the front lines to cringe as it left his hand with a loud crackle.

When the army was no more than a hundred yards away Thad was quickly running out of stone and magical reserves. “It’s almost time for us to leave. Whether I am awake or not after my next spell we need to go back to the others,” Thad told the horse as he started pulling in as much magical energy as he could hold. The force inside his head grew steadily until it hurt so bad he feared it would burst open any moment. When the nearest soldiers were no more than twenty yards from him Thad released his final spell. More than four dozen three foot spikes sprouted from the ground covering nearly fifty yards. Blue energy charged from the earth, dancing between the spikes like lighting between clouds during a storm.

Thad slumped forward in the saddle as black spots danced across his vision but he was able to keep his wits. Though he couldn’t see clearly, Thad felt his horse swing around and jolt back the way they had come. He could also clearly hear the tortured screams of the soldiers who had either been impaled or struck by the energy of his last spell.

Thad wanted to laugh but he didn’t even have the energy left for that luxury. The last spell had been harsh on him and he knew that it would be hours if not days before he could recover from it.

The spell had been a masterpiece, one that had come to him as he drew in the magical forces. Thad could tell that the area was highly charged and that it had an excess of pent up energy that needed release, so he had simply gave it an outlet. He wasn’t sure how long it would last but he was sure that not even the white swords of the Brotherhood would save them from the wrath of mother earth.

Shortly before the caravan came into sight Thad was once again able to grip the reins of the horse. His body still ached and his back hurt from being thrown around as he had slumped forward during the bulk of the ride.

When the horse reached the back of the caravan it slowed and Thad could hear its frantic panting. “You have outdone yourself,” Thad complemented the beast admiringly.

“I always outdo myself,” the horse replied without a hint of sarcasm.

Thad tried to pull himself up in the saddle but he had little strength left to him. The attempt alone nearly cost him his consciousness. Thad glanced up and noticed that the sun was nearly through its arc in the sky so he nudged the horse trying to get it to quicken its pace so that he could report to the elders before nightfall.

As Thad rode he let his eyes close just for the briefest of moments then found himself being shaken awake by a very worried looking Roger. “Thad are you ok?”

Thad opened his eyes to find that he was no longer mounted on the horse but lying down on solid ground. “Why have we stopped?” Thad asked frantically. “If we don’t keep moving they’re going to catch us long before we reach the border.”

“The older folks can’t march all night. We only plan to stop for a short rest then get back on the path. Most people are sleeping in shifts in the back of the wagons. There is little else we can do except leave the weaker ones behind,” Roger explained.

“I delayed them the best I could but I doubt it has bought us more than a few hours,” Thad said trying to sit up but finding he still had little strength in his body.

“It will be enough my friend,” Roger replied smiling. “Every mage with any skills has been helping us place traps behind us since your return. I doubt that anyone will be able to move very fast with what we have left for them.”

Thad felt the tension leave his body. If every mage was adding to the traps and spells then it would be nearly impossible for the brotherhood to match even their slow pace. Thad tried to speak but now with the tension gone his weariness hit him with its full force and his eyes grew heavy. Unable to fight against it Thad found himself in sleeps dark embrace within the span of a heartbeat.

That night as Thad dreamed he was not haunted by the dead face of his slain lover, nor did Hern stand above him menacingly holding his hammer. Thad found himself once again in the grove of the elven god.

“I didn’t expect to find myself here again,” Thad said, lying down amongst the flowers.

“Had you not been so foolish you would not have. While you command the powers of gods, your body is still that of a mortal man. If you continue to attempt to control such large amounts of power your body will break,” The god said admonishingly. “Did you forget that you were not the only mage in your band of friends? I know you have spent a great deal of time relying on your magic but if you can’t learn to call on others when it is needed then you will never win the coming battle.”

Thad looked at the god and felt thoroughly abashed. “I will try and remember that,” Thad replied solemnly. “I know how important it is to you and your kind that we stand strong against the Brotherhood. Do not worry, we shall not lose.”

“The Brotherhood are a blight on the world, this much it true but they are not the true enemy you will face. There are far greater evils in the endless universe than mortal men.”

“Humanius?” Thad asked, his heart beating fast.

“Yes, he is one threat the world will have to face. When that time comes man will not face it alone. I along with all my brothers and our kin shall stand beside those who fight.”

“How long do we have?”

“That is hard to say,” The elven god replied stoically. “His prison is weakening, that much is true but, it could be another thousand years before he breaks free. Human mages live long lives. Some have even been known to reach up to their three hundredth birthday. I have said enough. I did not bring you here for talks of what might be but what is. You have pushed yourself too far thus I have brought you to my grove so that what would take weeks to heal might happen in hours. I fear that you and all your companions will need every ounce of strength you have very soon.”

“Why not bring all of them here to rest then?”

“We are limited in our interaction with the mortal realm. I believe I have told you this much. None of the others have visited me so I have no connection with them and thus cannot bring them unto me. So I am left with you, a skilled yet often stubborn champion,” the god said half-jokingly.

When Thad’s eyes opened again it was already midday. Sitting, he found that his body felt light and rejuvenated. Even after spending the night in the god’s grove Thad had expected the sore sluggish feeling of his body to remain, but he felt as if he had slept for an eternity.

Sitting up in the back of one of the wagons Thad looked around to see panicked faces. Jumping from the cart Thad looked around for anyone he knew. Spotting Monique and Jayden in the distance Thad stopped and waited for the two to catch up to him.

“Thad are you sure you should be up and about?” Monique asked worriedly. “Roger told us you would down for days.”

“I bounce back quickly,” Thad said, not knowing if she would believe the truth. “More importantly what has been going on since I have been out?”

“The soldiers are catching up,” Monique said, with more than a little fear in her voice. “A few hours ago you could see the army off in the distance. Right now all the mages with any strength left are at the rear of the column using whatever magic they can think of to keep them from making any more ground on us. It has worked but I don’t know how much longer they will be able to last.”

Thad’s hand went to the ring on his finger. “Tuck, do you have any reports about how close we might be to the border?”

“Not too far, we can see you through the spyglass as long as you are not in one of the dips in the valley. My best guess would be around three miles away. We have moved the army right up to the border so that hopefully the army following you might have second thoughts. That is if you can stay out of their reach until you reach us.”