Stranded Mage (14 page)

The younger man picked himself up from the ground, wiping away the blood that had pooled at the corner of his mouth. “Yes sir,” he said bitingly as he shuffled toward the door.

Once the other man had left, the older sailor turned back to Thad. “I heard about your ship before it even made dock, saw a bit of it myself. Though I saw it, I still don’t know much about that tub.”

“The Kirisuto is one of the best ships on the water. She has four masts and enough space below deck to haul whatever you might wish,” Kain said defiantly, “and should you run into pirates, she has a few toys to discourage pursuit.”

“
That sounds all well and good, but you should know that none around here will be able to pay you what that ships worth. I will offer you everything I’ve saved over the years. Isn’t no room for haggling take it or leave it,” the old sailor said gruffly.

“I will take it on the promise that the ship will stay with you and yours. I don’t want to come back and learn you simply sold it to make a profit,” Thad replied evenly.

The old sailor scratched his head. “I don’t know why it would matter what I do with it, but I can give you my word that as long as I live I won’t be getting rid of the ship. As to what my fool of a son will do after I’m thrown out on the waters, I can’t say,” the man replied gravely.

With the deal made Thad shook the old man’s hand and signed a few pieces of papers declaring he had the right to sell the ship. After everything was done all that was left was waiting on the sailor’s son to return with the gold. The wait was a little longer than Thad would have wanted but he was more than satisfied when he returned carrying a small trunk filled close to the brim with gold.

Thad gave the sailor’s hand one final shake before shutting the trunk and leaving the pub. “Don’t you want to count it?” Kain asked.

“No need really,” Thad said, “now just to pick up a few horses and supplies and we can get going.”

Before leaving town Thad stopped by a series of shops and bought enough food and supplies to last the group for at least the first leg of the journey. Thad also bought four horses and two wagons.

Once everything was loaded Thad and Kain led the horses out of town. They found Reeve and the rest of the elves waiting a few miles down the road from the town.

“Why did you get carts?” Reeve asked, his face clearing showing his disproval. “They are going to slow us down. We should distribute the load between everyone and leave the carts behind.”

“If it comes apparent that we need to move with haste we can leave them behind,” Thad replied evenly. “The truth is that moving slowly might not be the worst thing. We are all in unfamiliar territory and if you couldn’t tell we already stick out. The carts will add a bit of credibility to us.”

Reeve didn’t seem convinced but he dropped the argument and walked back to the group. Though Delamar was not a large country it would still take more than a handful of days to reach the border of Rane and even longer to get near the capital.

Looking around at elves something occurred to Thad. Having such a large number of golden giants with him might not have been the best idea. Alone he could blend and keep out of sight. That was impossible now, and anyone who spotted them would definitely wag their tongues in the local pubs and inns. By Thad’s guess they had less than a fortnight before they had Brotherhood soldiers nipping at their heels.

Thad thought for a moment that it might be best to move off the road and travel over the countryside but he quickly dismissed that notion. They would pass less people but the people they would pass would definitely notice them. Not to mention it would slow them down considerably.

Most the day had already passed before they had been able to get out of the town, so they were only able to make it about ten miles from the town before the approaching darkness forced them off the road to set up camp.

As everyone prepared for the night Thad learned that beside food he should have purchased more bedrolls as well as many other supplies. The lords had chosen who to send with but over half of them were without proper travel gear.

Thad cursed himself for not checking on everyone properly before they had set out. Looking at the elves lay on the hard ground, Thad was happy that it was spring.

“Don’t worry too much,” Parson said, taking a seat next to Thad by the small fire. “My people are no stranger to the elements, in fact it could be said that we were born to sleep under the stars. If it really bothers you then next town we pass you go shop to your heart’s content.”

Thad had only talked to Parson a few times but he had found the elf relaxed and easy to talk to unlike Reeve whose cold eyes seemed to bore into him. “I should have made sure they had everything they needed,” Thad said, poking the small fire with a thin stick. “Are we short on anything else?”

Parson gave Thad an appraising look, then gave him a thin smile. “You would think our lords and ladies would have been half as concerned as you, but the truth is that they are not. Do you mind if I ask what the stories say about my people?”

Thad looked up into the sky and at the thousands of twinkling lights hanging above him. “Their description was nearly perfect but they speak of the elves as simple people who dance under the stars at night. My favorite stories were always those that told of the elves living in trees though they often treated Man like children.”

Thad wasn’t sure what Parson would say but he didn’t expect it when the tall elf laughed. “Not what I expected but there is a kernel of truth. We do view humans like children though most of that is due to your short lives. The truth is that before the Fae War, elves only had a few settlements. We were spread out across all of Kurt, and enjoyed it that way. Now for safety we hide on the island of our birth with little to occupy the endless days.” Parson laughed again a looked around at his brethren. “I know it isn’t a laughable matter but the isolation on our isle has killed us as surely as the Brotherhood swords would have. We are no longer the same people we once were.”

Thad thought about his short time with the elves. He had spent most of his time in his quarters at Emeriss’s estate. He noticed that though Emeriss had talked about her family from time to time but he had never seen them around. There had been plenty of servants but they had mostly stayed out of sight. Now that t had been brought to his attention it was obviously that there had been no real feel of connection between the elves. They all lived together but none of them really lived with each other. “That doesn’t sound very pleasing.”

“It is not pleasing at all, but it is the reason that so many were willing to accompany you. Everyone aboard the ship knew what we were getting into.” Parson looked Thad in the eyes and gave him a smile. “If you don’t mind me saying, it is not hard to see you are rushing toward your own death. It’s in your eyes, they speak of your pain as easily as if you had spoken aloud. You’re like a wounded dog chasing after anything to bite.”

“You might be right,” Thad replied, sighing.

“Mites are something that lives on a horse’s ass,” Parson said, laughing lightly. “There is no might to it, it’s as obvious as the sunrise. That is your own business though. I have lived over six hundred summers and every day is the same. One can only live so long without variation before he’s ready to jump from the highest cliff and wait for the quick stop at the end.”

Then you came along wanting to die?” Thad asked, confusion lacing his voice.

Parson's face lost all mirth and took on a serious look. “Don’t get me wrong, I will do everything in my power to increase my chances of surviving. If that means making a hothead calm his suicidal thoughts, so be it.”

“I will try to remember that,” Thad replied laughing.

“Is Parson talking you ears off?” Reeve said his eyes still cold and lifeless but his face held the barest hint of a smile. “I heard you ask what we might need besides the essentials. To be frank Master Thad, we need weapons and time to train. Almost every elf here can use a bow to good measure but if it comes to swordplay they’re going to be cut down and quick.”

“When we reach the next town we will see if we can do something about the weapons,” Thad replied somberly. “As far as training, we could work in time throughout the day as we march.”

“It’s not perfect but I can work with it,” Reeve said looking put out. “Do you have a plan for when we reach where were going?”

Thad shook his head. “Not so much. I don’t know much about Rane or the Merchant Guild. I guess the first order of business will be gathering some information on the city.”

“I guess it was too much to hope you had a plan,” Reeve said, disgusted.

Thad watched as the assassin walked away.
I like him.
Thad nearly laughed. “You would, but this time I must agree with you, I like him too.”

“Don’t think too badly of Reeve. He takes his job too seriously sometimes,” Parson said, startling Thad out of his private conversation with Thuraman.

“I can’t argue with him,” Thad said, chuckling. “He is right; I came here without thinking about what I would do after I reached the capital of Rane. Even now I can’t think of what to do after we get there.”

“My father was a hunter and woodman long before the time Brotherhood. He would tell me of the many animals he had seen,” Parson said, staring longingly into the flames. “He used to say that you could make as many plans as you wanted but animals rarely followed them. He would tell me the best thing to do was to follow your instincts.” Parson stood and gave Thad one final look before he headed back to his bedroll.

Thad kicked the ground covering the small fire with dirt. Thad could still smell the smell of the fire as he lay down. As he closed his eyes Thad prayed that his dreams wouldn’t be afflicted with thoughts of Brianna again. Far too often lately had he woken in a cold sweat from having her die in his arms.

The small army moved slowly, most of the day being dedicated to Reeve's training. It wasn’t quite what Thad had in mind when he had offered to give up some traveling time for training but so far nothing had gone wrong.

They reached the next fair sized town four days out in their journey. Thad had to use a large amount of the gold he had acquired for the ship but he had been able to procure enough weapons and supplies for everyone.

Thad had thought about restocking their food supplies but Reeve had been adamant they sell one of the carts so Thad had relented on the idea. The town had been on the edge of a large forest so there had been plenty of bows in stock, but there had only been a few swords and knives in stock. The blacksmith had assured Thad and Reeve that given three days he could fill their needs.

Reeve and Thad agreed that a few days rest would be good. So now they camped out in the forest waiting for their supplies to be ready.

Thad still recalled the blacksmith's questions. He had wondered why Thad had wanted so many weapons. Thad had lied and said that he was a merchant headed south. Having heard about the numerous wars raging lately the blacksmith had taken Thad for his word, but his eyes showed his skepticism.

The day that they had agreed on the delivery of goods Thad was woken early by the sound of wood hitting against wood. Opening his eyes, Thad saw the elves paired off into groups of two.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep soon Thad slipped out of his covers. He looked back toward the sparing elves and sighed. He had practiced with them a few times but most of his time had been taken up by his enchanting. He had already finished a few dozen shield rings and had let Reeve pass them out.

Other than the shield rings Thad had begun working on stunning rings. He had made only a few of the ring as they still took a lot of effort and time. He knew they used they relied upon energy elemental energy but he still wasn’t sure how they worked. He still found it odd that he could make enchantments without fully knowing how they worked.

You know how it works. Somewhere in your mind you know how it works.

“I will have to take your word for it,” Thad replied, letting his fingers run over one such ring that rested on his finger. “Do you know how it works?”

Asking for my opinion, that’s a first.
The voice in his head was light almost witty.
I can’t say I understand why it works but I do know how it works. Whenever you use your ring it sends a heavy stream of energy into the targets mind.

Thad looked back down to the ring on his finger. “Thanks for letting me know,” Thad replied.

Is something wrong with you today? First you ask my opinion now you are thanking me. If I didn’t know better I would think you were losing you mind.

“I just thought that maybe I should start treating you more like I treat others instead of like a servant,” Thad replied nearly laughing.

That will make things a little awkward for me. If you start treating me nicely then I will feel bad when I make jokes at your expense.

“Are you saying you prefer me to talk to you rudely,” Thad said, shaking his head.

I wouldn’t say I like it but I have gotten used to it. At least when you get snippy with me you show a little backbone. If you showed a portion of that spirit to everyone else they might not think you so weak.