Rogue Magician (The Magician Rebellion) (20 page)

“
You
need a hand?” Byrn almost grunted as he caught the weight of the box. “By
Learion, this thing is heavy!”

“
Yeah,”
said the boy, “and my wonderful uncle saw fit to leave this one to me to teach
me a lesson. I can not wait to see his expression when he sees that I took care
of it without him.” The two boys maneuvered the box to an area set aside for
unloading raw clothing materials no more than a hundred feet into the domain's
residential area and went back to get another box. “Which cart are you with?”

“
I
am with that one,” Byrn told him pointing in the general direction of the
caravan, “but I was thinking of joining up with another crew. You got any
openings?” he added hastily.

“
By
the way my name is Tobias,” the teamster extended his hand.

Taking
it, Byrn replied, “The name is Maguire, but my friends call me Mag for short.”
It was the name of one of the boys from back in the orphanage. A particularly
large and angry boy that used to think it was funny to push the younger and
smaller ones, like Byrn, around.

When
they got back to the wagons Byrn tried to look around for places to hide, but
did not see any. The carts were small and nearly barren. Stowing away would not
be an option unless they were filled back up with goods for export.

A
fat man who had been standing around talking to some others from the caravan
hollered for them once the cart was empty. He had a pitch-black beard and wore
a finely made red tunic. He looked like the kind of man unaccustomed to manual
labor. “When you get done with that box, get to loading these onto the cart,
lads!” He motioned to some smaller boxes at his feet.

“
Yes,
uncle!” Tobias yelled back.

Seeing
several of the Kenzai guards surveying the proceedings Byrn added, “Yes, sir!”
in an attempt to make it seem like he was with the teamsters.

When
they finished loading up six boxes of clothing sewn by the tailors and
seamstresses of Ilipse Tobias and Byrn climbed onto the wagon and waited for
the young teamster's uncle. Byrn leaned in closely to Tobias. “Do you think it
would be alright if I rode with you and your uncle for a ways? Being on my own
wagon may not be in my best interests, if you follow my meaning. My master shot
me an unfriendly look when I came over to help you and I think he could use
some cooling off.”

Tobias
nodded, “Just ask my uncle, Ferrio. I would be happy for the company.”

Sometime
later the black bearded Ferrio arrived and hopped into the driving bench of the
wagon. Grabbing the reigns he looked back and asked Tobias, “Ready to go?” but
before his nephew could answer Ferrio looked at Byrn and said, “Who is this?”

“
This
is Mag. He is from one of the other wagons,” Tobias told him.

“
You
do not look familiar,” Ferrio squinted at Byrn trying to place the young man’s
face.

However,
the escaped magician expected some resistance and had prepared for this, “You
remember me. I was helping Tobias unload those leather skins earlier and you
asked me to help put these on.” He motioned to the new boxes filled with tanned
leather garments.

“
His
master is not too happy with him for helping us either,” chimed Tobias.

“
Is
it Rectin? He has always been a bastard.” Ferrio smiled a little at the thought
of getting one over on someone he clearly regarded as a rival.

“
That
would be him,” confirmed Byrn with a conspiratorial smile.

“
You
can ride with us for a ways,” the wagon master turned to check the horses'
reins and added, “but I ain't feeding you.”

Byrn
could barely contain his excitement as Ferrio whipped the horses and the wagon
began to roll forward with him on board. He watched with relief as they rolled
out of the gate leaving the domain behind. Some distance away he could see some
of the residents dealing with the newly delivered supplies. Among them were a
golden haired woman and her daughter cautiously looking in his direction. Lora
and Marisa smiled as the gate closed behind the caravan. Then Byrn's heart sank
when the wagon came to an abrupt halt in an enclosed holding area.

Four
Kenzai guards approached the cart from different directions in a formation
designed to catch anyone attempting to get off the wagon. Two of the guards
searched underneath the cart while another climbed in the back and the last
talked to the driver. Byrn did his best to remain calm and act as if nothing
unusual was happening. The guard looked at Byrn for a second and he tried to
avoid squirming under the man's stare.

“
Thaon,
do you recognize this one?” the Kenzai said never taking his stare from Byrn.

Another
guard came over and regarded Byrn. “He was with them moving some boxes
earlier,” Thaon said with some disinterest. The first guard seemed to accept
this and continued his inspection of the wagon's bed.

Following
a cursory glance in the boxes large enough to hide a person the cloaked man
jumped off of the cart and a moment later the outer gate was raised allowing
them through. Ferrio pulled the cart behind the one that had exited just before
them. They were in the middle wagon of the caravan and had two more carts to
wait on. Byrn looked around at the uncluttered expanse. Ahead of them was an
open road leading into a forest far off in the distance. It had been so long
since Byrn was last able to see more than twenty feet in front of him that the
feeling of seeing for miles was disorienting.

He
started to feel a slight tingle in his body and he knew from his training time
with Sane that this was what it felt like when the blood source began to
rebuild its energy. Byrn silently vowed never to be taken back to Baj ever
again. From this day forward he would be a free man.

It
seemed like an hour later when the remaining wagons exited the holding area and
joined the rest of the caravan, but Byrn guessed it was really only a few
minutes that passed before they were on their way. The rogue magician wondered
where they were going but thought it wise not to ask. If he was really a
teamster with this caravan, then he should already know the answer to that
question and asking could raise suspicions. After a few hours of watching the
sun's movement Byrn could tell that they were headed south. For now that would
have to be enough.

***

It
was some hours later when the caravan was passed by a pair of riders heading
towards Ilipse. One rider wore shiny plate armor and his companion wore a green
cloak.

When
the riders passed Byrn kept his head down, but he was eager to get a look at
the passersby. He couldn't be sure, but he thought they were Kellen and Sane.
Kellen may not be the only warrior in the kingdom with such remarkable armor
and Sane may not be the only person to where a green cloak, but he was sure
this was not a coincidence. A mix of relief and fear washed over him as he
realized that he got out of Ilipse mere hours before he would have been
discovered and that his pursuers would most likely be chasing after this caravan
soon. He could only hope that the caravan stopped sometime soon for the night
or reached a city where Byrn could disappear.

“
Did
you see that armor?” Ferrio shouted to the lads in the back of the wagon. “I
bet a suit like that is worth two-hundred gold coins.”

“
At
least,” agreed Tobias, “I wonder why it is so shiny.”

Byrn,
or “Mag” as Tobias and his uncle knew him, could have answered that question.
He thought back to the first time he saw Knight-Captain Kellen's armor. He
simply thought it was well cared for or made of some special metal that gave it
such a unique shine. It was only after learning about enchantments that he came
to realize that the shine was most likely an indication of a magical spell tied
to the armor.

It
was an hour later when the caravan reached the edge of the forest path and they
came to an abrupt halt. “Why have we stopped?” Byrn inquired as his mind
immediately went to him being discovered.

“
Highwaymen,”
said Ferrio. “The guards will handle it.”

As
Byrn was about to ask “What guards?” four men in brown leather armor jumped out
of the lead wagon and another two emerged from the rear one and ran forward.

“
All
we want is the coin,” said the bandit leader as five more men came out from
behind trees. “I've got ten swords and bows with me. If you want to live, then
hand over your money and we will take the pick of your cargo. Otherwise the
next caravan you will be a part of will belong to Kassani.”

“
No
worries,” Ferrio told his teamsters, “Those boys are bluffing. If they had
archers they would show them.”

As
if they were trying to prove the merchant's words, the caravan guards drew
their weapons and attacked the bandits. An instant later, arrows flew from the
forest hitting two of the guards and narrowly missing two more.

“
Get
down!” someone yelled and Byrn jumped off the cart hiding behind it. Tobias
quickly joined him. Ferrio slipped out of his seat in the front of the cart and
circled around to hide with the boys.

The
sounds of fighting and screaming raged ahead of them. Byrn poked his head up
for a moment to see two of the guards were dead and the remaining ones becoming
quickly overwhelmed as they tried to deal with the sword carrying bandits while
avoiding arrows from hidden foes in the trees.

“
They
will be on us in a matter of moments. Are either of you armed?” Byrn asked his
companions.

Tobias
shook his head in the negative, but Ferrio pulled a short dagger from his boot.

“
Give
it to me,” Byrn held out his hand.

“
No,”
Ferrio told him treating the blade with the same hungry desire that a starving
man might have for his last morsel of food. A sudden desire to punch the man in
the face and take his knife came over the elementalist, but he pushed it down.
He could not give in to his rage like he did that night in Colum or allow himself
to become like Mantellus.

An
arrow whizzed past Ferrio's ear piercing the ground inches away from his foot.
“Give me the dagger,” Byrn demanded with authority as if the bearded merchant
had no choice in the matter, “and I promise I will save you both.” Reluctantly
Ferrio handed over his weapon and to his horror Byrn turned it on himself
cutting his own hand at the palm and switching the blade to the bleeding hand
cut open the other palm.

He
handed the bloodied dagger back to Ferrio who was trembling and dropped it into
the dirt, convinced that if the bandits did not kill him the crazy teamster
would.

The
young magician stood to face the caravan's assailants who were now moving past
the second cart to the one he was at. Three of the bandits were left in view
plus however many were in the trees. Two of the men approached from the left
while the third came from the right. They tried to circle around Byrn behaving
cautiously despite the fact that he was bleeding and unarmed.

Drops
of blood dripped on the dirt as Byrn lifted his hands up palms out toward the
bandits on each side. The swirl of blood was fast. It was far faster than he
remembered when he faced the ogres and he realized just how much his abilities
had grown in the last year. Even in the “unprotected” area of Baj where he had
trained with Sane there must have been some ambient effects of the wards
keeping his full potential at bay, because now the magic flowed through him
like never before. He conjured a shield around himself just before a volley of arrows
from the forest's edge struck it harmlessly bouncing off to land at his feet.

Byrn
shot a blast of hot air from his palms knocking the bandits off of their feet,
but the ones hiding in the trees were the real threat if his shield were to
falter. He walked quickly with determination to a spot closer to the trees
keeping his shield erected the entire time.

“
Come
out now and surrender or I while burn the forest down with you in it!” Byrn
screamed hoping his angry tone and earlier display would be enough to frighten
the bowmen out. His answer was another volley of arrows bouncing harmlessly
away once more. In response he conjured balls of flame and cast them against
some of the trees setting them alight. Shooting a wall of flames would have
been a better choice and would have caused much greater destructive force by
burning away the undergrowth, but he wanted to avoid killing these men unless
he was fairly sure that he was going to die anyway. Of course there was no need
to tell them that. “I will not ask again!”

Four
archers stepped forward from the trees. “Toss your weapons over here,” Byrn
commanded. The tell tale lightheadedness from casting magic in this way was
beginning to set in. When all of their weapons were in a pile Byrn set them
ablaze. The bows and arrows burned easily and the daggers and swords the bowmen
had would be too hot for them to touch for a while without the risk of scalding
their hands.

Now
that he archers no longer posed a serious threat, Byrn turned to face the
swordsmen to find that they were all dead. The remaining merchants and
teamsters had been quick about taking the bandits' weapons after Byrn knocked
them down and slit their throats or stabbed them.