Book 6, Chapter 19: Not This Leg
A bellowing wail, like an animal dying, woke me up. I sat up, finding myself near a campfire, Cresida near me, separated some distance from the soldiers. A wall at our backs. “What the hell was that?”
“You hit your head pretty hard,” said Cresida, taking a rag out from a bucket of water and squeezing it out, “I’m going to put a cold cloth on your forehead.”
As she did, the cloth felt cool and clean all at once, and I lay back, closing my eyes. “I take it the monsters are outside the ruins? Where’s the mage?” Men’s voices echoed around us, and the crackling of the firewood. The ground I lay on was hard against my back, and cold.
She backed up and I heard her legs cross. “Chased away. The soldiers built fires at each entrance. But you can hear those things wailing every so often. They set us off to the side in case the beasts get in.”
Damn, that wasn’t good. “They’re keeping close? They must want something in here. Or, someone.”
“So it seems.”
Monsters were pretty common on this world, but these seemed to surprise the soldiers. “Have you seen anything like those before?”
“No. But the forests are full of beasts. Are you hungry?”
“In a bit. I’m just going to rest a little longer.” Yet the damp cloth was warming all too quickly becoming less and less comfortable across my face. Taking it off, I sat up. “Oh, I’ll get up. That’s enough rest.”
“If you’re going to fight like the men, you might want to consider wearing armor. You wouldn’t have been hit so hard.”
I gave her a glare. Armor. I’d fought and fought to wear it in my own kingdom and ended up wearing dresses anyways. And kinda got used to them, even started liking them. “Yeah. Got any in my size?”
She narrowed her eyes, “I’m sure something can be found. Perhaps a young man’s outfit. Here.” She passed me a plate of bread, hard white cheese and a chunk of dark meat.
“Thanks. So, uh, where’s the mage?”
“You think the beasts came for him. So do the soldiers. He is,” she moved her head, indicating a bunch of soldiers, “being watched by them. Between you and me, I’d feel safer if they could take his irons off. He could kill those things then.”
“Could? Why can’t they?”
“Only another mage can get those off. They were spelled on.”
“Huh. That’s a problem then. Surely Talaren must know that?” Also, how does one spell magic dampening iron? Not for the first time, I regretting destroying the Wizards’ Conclave. The library would have really helped. But it had to go.
“On a first name basis now?”
“Cresida . . . “
“They tried to take off the irons. While you were out. And they couldn’t. I’m sure his arms are worse for the endeavor, since they hammered at them for a good while. Hence, he’s no longer our prisoner, but our ward. Now, we’re guarding him.”
“You were guarding him before, too.”
“You’re too young to see the difference.”
I looked over at him. Surrounded by guards, they were treating him more friendly now, patting him on the back with jokes, passing him ale, laughing together. “I think I got it.” Yeah, sure, I annoyingly thought to myself, I only showed you guys to use fire against the monsters, but yeah, give all your attention to him. “The bread is good, still warm.”
“I’d started it before those creatures came.” She looked around at the walls, “Good thing we’re holed up here. If we’d been out on the open . . .”
“That doesn’t bode well for tomorrow night. How many days are we from the main force?”
“Three, I think. Gyges will come by soon. He wants . . . to have another chat with you.”
“Pass me an ale, would you? If I have to talk to your husband, I’d like the world to be a little less stressful.” Probably not a great idea, not even a good one, to drink with a concussion. But this was the calm before the storm and ale wouldn’t be served after all the calm had vanished.
***
I was less dizzy when he finally showed up. Finished eating, second ale of the night, but not straight on till morning.
Gyges sat down beside me. “Lady Sarah, these creatures, have you seen them before?”
“No.” I considered deceit, telling him they were here for the mage, but lies always got me into trouble. Plus, those things were probably after me. Though, a part of me thought I was just being arrogant, since I was only a little girl now. Maybe a medium girl!
And anyways, if they were after me, I didn’t know what to do. I felt a little guilty when I let a tiny sliver of hope trickle into my thoughts that those monsters were here for the mage.
“Yet you knew to use fire against them.”
“Uh, when they attacked us, the fire gave them pause. Plus, the only weapon I had,” I rattled the sword still at my belt, “didn’t have the reach I wanted.”
“Our own weapons did very little to the beasts. I’m not entirely sure what to do if they persist on attacking us. Several of our soldiers have wrapped cloth around spears and arrows. Should they return, we’ll attack them with fire.”
“I hope that works.”
“You’ve been trained to hunt mages? Are these creatures part of that?”
“I honestly don’t know, Captain, but it is my first guess.” Or, my second. “Though I don’t know who could send such things after him or why.”
“Well, the why is obvious. He was a renegade mage up until last week.”
“Right!” It was too easy to forget these people were used to delays in their activities, whereas I was used to instant global communication. “You believe Grand Magister Tye send these beasts after Talaren before, uh, dying?”
“That’s my best guess.”
“How did our mage over there escape from the wizards?”
“I assume it was during the confusion of the deity attack.”
“That’s something we should really ask him. Also, why weren’t you able to get the irons off of him?”
“I believe these were sealed by magical means. Since there are no more mages, the irons cannot be removed and he will remain powerless. It seems we’re protecting him for no good reason.” He leaned in, “Though the major seems to think he can solve this issue, and Talaren himself doesn’t seem bothered.”
“Ah.” I knew, of course, where we could go to get those irons off of him. The Temple of the Gods, where magic ceased to function. Where I’d been given poison and where the dimensional trap that nearly killed me lay. The mirror I couldn’t look away from that leads into it – thoughts of gazing into it swelled up in my chest. Like the scent of spices roasting when you are hungry, the thought of water after a long, long hike. I missed it like I missed coffee. I could take Talaren there, remove those irons, give him his magic back, go to the mirror! See its glory and beauty once again, touch its silver surface and feel at peace, whole, my own being, myself, my future in there.
“Sarah,” he rested his hand on my knee, “are you alright?”
“Fine! I’m fine.” I took his hand off my leg while staring into his eyes. No, I could not go back there, for the Trap would take me again. And this time, it would keep me and I would never know freedom.
“Something bothered you just then.”
“Your hand on my person.”
“Before that. What is it?”
“The dizziness from being hit in the head. I need more,” I passed him my cup, “ale. If you would, my good sir.”
He picked up the jug and, just before pouring, said, “You remembered something just then, didn’t you? What was it?”
“Nothing I care to share.”
“Now, now,” he passed me the cup, “don’t be a coy child.”
“Sometimes the body makes the girl.”
“I hope you’re not withholding important information. Nevertheless, we’re heading out on the morrow. I’m worried those things will follow us.”
“If I had to guess, I’d guess they don’t travel during the daytime. Not sure how fast they move, though.” The creatures troubled me. If they were sent – for me or the mage – then they were spawned or conjured somewhere. Was it nearby? Far away? Their spawn point, for lack of a better phrase, would tell me how fast they could move. And how dangerous the sender was. If it were the Others, and they spawned nearby, I was going to have all manner of troubles coming. If, on the other hand, they were released near the temple, they probably moved very, very quickly, nearly as fast as a horse, and that in itself was an issue.
Either way, I was beginning to hope, sincerely, that they were here for Talaren.
Can’t a former deity just live her new, powerless life in peace?
“Alright. If that’s all you have to say.”
“Hey,” I added before he stood up, “how large is the army we’re joining? Those troops nearly wiped us out back there. You think we’ll be safe?” If it was a small army, it might be worth stealing Talaren now and taking our chances, monsters be damned.
“Some thirty thousand men, I’m told. It should dissuade the enemy from attacking us. I hope to parley with them, find out what they’re after.”
“They didn’t care to parley with you before. You don’t think it’s mere conquest?”
“Their timing is suspect, to say the least. How’d they know to attack just as our mages had fallen? I need to know what they want.”
“I don’t think they care what you need.” I looked away, to the fire where Talaren was enjoying the company of his jailers, and put the ale to my mouth, to cover up my thoughts. Gyges was wrong. The timing of the nun’s army was perfect, not suspect. They knew the mages would fall, they knew I’d be here. The question was not why they came, but how. How’d they get an army? And who gave it to them?
“You are as terrible at hiding secrets as you are at lying.” He moved closer, putting his hand on my knee again. “Tell me what you know.”
“Alright. What I know is this. I can best five men in single combat, and you are but one man. With your hand unwanted on my leg.”
He narrowed his eyes, not removing his hand. “You do not seem who you claim to be.”
I plucked his hand off. “Captain. Dismissed.”
“You can’t dismiss me.”
Ignoring him, I turned to the fire, sipping my ale, until he went away. His mouth moved and he probably said a bunch of what he thought were convincing sentences, or maybe angry ones, but eventually he gave up and went away.
He was only a captain in this military, and we were about to join its larger force, and they’d be led by majors and generals. Not a chance in hell Gyges would be part of the parley party. In three days, I could safely ignore the man.
Starting from tonight.
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