Chapter Fifteen

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“You’re really something you know,” Illan says when they finally rejoin the main force and tell him what happened.

“Actually most of the credit should go to Brother Willim and the Hand,” replies James. “It was the ants that caused the mages to be unable to focus well enough to control the magic.”

He barks out with laughter. “I know that to be true,” he says, still chuckling. “When I was a young lad I fell asleep in an area swarming with them. I must have moved in my sleep for they started biting me. By the time I made it to the nearest pond and dove in, I had welts from head to toe. Miserable buggers.”

From behind they can hear Scar and Potbelly recounting the events to the rest of the men. Of course from their version you would think they had killed the mages all by themselves, not to mention the hundred or more soldiers they had slain. James just grins and shakes his head, by this time no one really takes what they say as fact. He still wants to call them on one of their wild claims but so far hasn’t been able to.

Pulling out his mirror, he checks the force behind them and discovers they are still by the road where the attack occurred. From the looks of them, it doesn’t seem as if they are in any hurry to proceed. He then scans in a full circle for any enemy forces but only comes up with more desert. There are civilians traveling here and there, none likely to cross their path.

He scrolls the image as far west as he can before the drain of magic becomes too great in an attempt to find Korazan but isn’t able to reach that far. “Looks like there’s nothing close,” he tells Illan as he replaces his mirror back in his pack.

“That’s good news,” he replies. “If we move fast enough, we may be able to stay ahead of the word of our approach.”

Nodding, James rides in silence for awhile. Behind him, he can hear Jiron as he talks with Aleya.

“I took out one of the mages myself,” he boasts. Riding along beside her, he glances out of the corner of his eye for any spark of reaction to what he just said. Nothing. She simply continues riding along, pointedly ignoring him.

He never was one to boast of his deeds before. In fact, he can’t remember ever doing it before just now, at least not for the sole purpose of impressing someone. Why does this woman affect him so? He’s drawn to her but it seems as if nothing he does has any effect. Back when he and James had first encountered her in the hills near Mountainside she was friendly to him. He even felt they were growing closer. Yet here they were, separated by something completely unfathomable to him. After riding along beside her for several more minutes, he sighs and then slows to drop back.

“You okay?” Delia’s voice comes to him as she moves to ride alongside him.

“Yeah,” he says in a voice not quite convincing.

Delia takes in the way he keeps glancing at Aleya and tries to hide the grin that is threatening to come forth. She’s been watching his attempt at becoming closer to her and is pretty sure she knows what’s keeping him from achieving it. But she’s not quite sure how to tell him.

“I thought you and Aleya liked each other?” she asks.

“We do!” he blurts out with more force than he wanted. Face turning red, he turns his gaze to her and adds, “At least I do.”

“Then what’s the problem?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” he replies. “I try talking to her and all I get is silence. At first she and I hit it off, but then things began to cool until now it’s absolutely frigid.”

“What do you talk about?” she asks.

“Oh, the war. The adventures James and I have had, my time in the Pits,” he tells her.

The grin she’s been holding back is all but breaking through the barriers she’s erected in an effort not to make him feel bad. “Do you ever talk about her?”

“What?” he asks.

“Have you ever asked her a question about her life? Her thoughts?” She pauses a moment to let that sink in. “There are many different types of women in this world,” she explains. “Most of the ones you’ve been acquainted with probably have cooed and gone all mushy when you tell them of your exploits.”

“Isn’t that what women want?” he asks in all seriousness.

A soft laughter breaks through her barrier. Shaking her head she says, “Not one such as Aleya. If you want her, you need to think of her as more of an equal. She needs to feel you are interested in her as a person.”

He turns to look at her, a thoughtful expression playing across his face.

“Ask her about her life, her past, what she hopes for the future,” she goes on. “And for goodness sake, just listen when she talks. Don’t interrupt or she will think you aren’t interested in what she’s saying. Your deeds gained her interest, but alone they won’t gain her heart.”

Nodding, he begins to see where he’s gone wrong. “Thanks,” he says to her.

“Just be patient. That’s the most important thing a man can do where a woman is involved.”

“I will,” he assures her then nudges his horse to move up the line to ride next to Aleya.

“Think he’ll listen?” Errin asks as she pulls up next to her.

“We’ll see,” states Delia.

Up ahead they watch as Jiron pulls next to her and says something. Delia holds her breath in expectation until Aleya slightly turns her head in Jiron’s direction and replies. Both Delia and Errin let go their pent up breath at the same time.

“She really does like him,” Errin states.

“I know,” replies Delia. “We were talking about just that thing a few days ago. He only needed to be shown the way.”

“Just hope he doesn’t make a mess of it,” says Errin.

“Of course he will, he’s a man,” Delia says and then turns to Errin with a grin. “They can’t help themselves.”

At that they break out into soft laughter at the expense of all males everywhere.

 

Throughout the rest of the day they continue to push on toward Korazan. James periodically checks the surrounding area for any hostiles which may be on an intercept course. But other than the odd traveler, there doesn’t appear to be anyone around. Just after their midday break to give the horses a breather, he discovers that the force they ambushed back at the road is once again on the move after them, though half a day behind. Now augmented by the foot soldiers that have caught up with them from Al-Zynn, they outnumber them by more than two to one. On the plus size, in order to keep their two forces together, they have to travel at the speed of the foot soldiers which is greatly less than a horse and thus will continue to fall further behind.

“If they get too close we’ll have to slow them down again,” James states.

Nodding, Illan replies, “At the rate they’ll be moving, it isn’t likely going to be a problem.”

Occasionally their scouts report forces on the move which James readily finds once he knows where to look. They’re never more than a score or two and none are heading in their direction.

By the end of the day, he’s able to at last see Korazan in his mirror. Still hours away, if they travel a couple more hours by nightfall, they will be within striking distance for the following morning.

At this point, Illan begins sending out groups of eight riders whose purpose is to find and detain anyone who might raise the alarm. If they can strike with surprise in the morning they’ll not lose as many men.

“There’s a force of men camped on the north side of town,” James tells Illan.

“How many?” he asks.

He studies the image a moment then says, “A couple hundred.” He glances over to him and adds, “Most are foot soldiers.”

“Good,” he states. Turning to where Ceadric rides just behind them, he waves him closer. “Time to send them in.”

Ceadric nods and moves further back into the column. Shortly after that two riders, wearing the regular garb of those living in the Empire, detach themselves and race for Korazan. Dressed as one of them, these two men will attempt to find out strengths and deployments before the morning’s attack. James felt very fortunate to discover that several of the Raiders had a working knowledge of the Empire’s tongue.

When the scouts report that Korazan lies about two hours away, Illan calls a halt. Cold rations and no fires is the order this night. No chances will be taken that might alert anyone as to their whereabouts.

While waiting for Devin to bring him his dinner, James takes out his mirror and does one final check. The force pursuing them still remains far behind and isn’t looking as if they are going to catch up to them any time soon. Elsewhere it still looks like nothing else is heading their way.

“You okay?” Jiron asks as he approaches.

Looking up, James sees him carrying two plates of food, he hands one to him. Taking the offered food, he says, “Just worried.”

Jiron sits on the ground opposite him. “Aren’t we all?” he questions as he takes a bite. “We aren’t exactly in a safe environment.”

“It isn’t that,” he explains. “Remember when we were on the way to rescue Miko, the whole area seemed to be practically teeming with soldiers.” When he sees Jiron nod he adds, “Now there doesn’t appear to be anyone around. It feels like they are up to something.”

“Perhaps,” he says through a mouthful of food. “It could also be that most of their forces are either in Madoc or over to the east taking on the Kirkens. Keep in mind too that since I met you, you’ve managed to reduce the numbers of their army by quite a lot.”

“Still, it just doesn’t feel right,” he insists. They eat in silence a moment while they each mull it over.

“What are you doing here?” Delia asks as she joins them.

“What?” asks James.

“Not you,” she replies and then points to Jiron, “him.”

James arcs an eyebrow at him and grins. He knows what she’s talking about.

“That poor girl is sitting there all alone and here you are,” she says accusingly. Turning her head, she draws Jiron’s gaze over to where Aleya sits by herself. Her head turns briefly in their direction when she takes notice looking her way, then returns to her plate of food.

“If you don’t get over there right this very minute I’m going to send Scar and Potbelly over there to keep her company,” she tells him.

“Don’t do that,” he says as he gets to his feet. “She already has enough problems without adding them to it.” With a nod to James, he leaves them and makes his way over to her.

Delia sighs after he leaves them and sits in the spot he just vacated. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that boy!” Glancing over her shoulder, she sees Jiron has taken a seat next to her and is engaging her in conversation.

James can see the smile playing across her lips as she turns back to him. “Some of us take more effort than others,” he says.

“You got that right,” she replies. “But I think Jiron is heading in the right direction. At least he wants to do right.”

“That he does,” he agrees.

Just then he sees Devin approaching. “I laid out your things over there,” he says, pointing to an area near the center of the encampment.

“Thanks,” James replies.

Nodding his head, he excuses himself and then makes his way over to join the rest of the recruits at their meal.

He and Delia sit there and talk about inconsequential things as the light continues to fade. Before it becomes too dark, they each say goodnight and make their way to their respective bedrolls.

As James lies down upon his he thinks about what’s going to happen tomorrow and prays he thought of everything. Laying his head back, he gazes up at the stars beginning to appear in the sky above and lets his mind wander. He knows part of the reason for tackling Korazan tomorrow is in retribution for the slavers’ role in the death of his best friend Dave. The other part is simply that slavery is an evil blight upon the world and one which should be every good man’s duty to hinder and stop.

It takes awhile, but he’s able to finally subdue the thoughts running through his mind and fall asleep.

 

Sitting up in the dark, he looks around, unsure of what woke him. The night is peaceful, the stars overhead giving some light with which to see. Making a quick survey of the sleeping forms around him, he realizes that he is the only one awake except for the shadow of a sentry walking the perimeter. All is as it should be but here he sits, wide awake and all traces of sleep gone which is unusual.

A soft breeze blows across the slumbering forms, ruffling his hair with a gentle caress. Taking another look around, he still fails to discover anything out of the ordinary so settles back down to sleep. That’s when he notices a light emerging from an old tear in the front of his tunic. The sight of the light sends a shiver down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Grabbing the chain holding the medallion bearing the Star of Morcyth, he pulls it out of his shirt. Light bathes the immediate area as it clears his collar. This is not good! He gets to his feet and holds aloft the medallion, turning full circle as he gazes around the camp. Light only comes from the medallion in certain circumstances, so far all of which have been bad.

Continuing to cast quick glances around the camp, he quickly moves over to where Miko lays. Kneeling down beside him, he lays a hand upon his breast and shakes him. “Miko!” he whispers urgently.

“Wha…?” Miko asks groggily until he sees the light coming from the medallion. Snapping awake, he turns his eyes on James.

“I don’t know,” he replies. He’s about to say something else when Miko suddenly grabs him and rolls to the side.

“Attack!” he yells as he rolls with James quickly. When he comes to a stop, James is behind him and the Star of Morcyth is in his hand. “Up! We’re under attack!” Holding the Star high, he gets to his feet as the Light seems to enfold the shadow.

James looks around him and sees a shadow being held at bay by the light coming from the Star. Suddenly, green light flares from the side as Brother Willim and the Hand summon their power. “James!” Brother Willim shouts, “Behind you!”

Turning, he finds another shadow almost upon him. Holding up the medallion before him, he bathes the shadow in its glow. Not nearly as effective as the Star, it slows the creature but doesn’t halt its progress. He sees one of Ceadric’s Raiders charge it with a sword. “Stop!” he calls to the man but the man pays him no heed. Striking out with his sword, the man attacks the shadow. When the sword comes into contact with it, the man spasms violently before falling to the ground where he lies still.

“Together!” Brother Willim orders the rest of the Hand as a greenish glow surrounds the shadow before him. Stopping in its tracks, the shadow begins to shrink in on itself as the glow surrounding it becomes more pronounced.

Lights spring up around the camp as men quickly light lanterns and torches. “Ceadric!” shouts Illan as he quickly gets over his shock.

“Sir!” replies Ceadric.

“Send out men and see if an attack is imminent,” he orders.

“Yes, sir!” he replies. Grabbing several men standing nearby, he begins organizing scouting parties.

The shadow before Miko also begins to shrink as the light from the Star intensifies. A ring of onlookers surrounds them as Miko and the Hand battle the shadows, both are now half their original size. For a moment the shrinking halts then all of a sudden, they wink out. As they disappear, so too does the light from the Star and the medallion. The greenish glow surrounding the Hand remains as they keep vigilant.

A blazing orb springs into life above them bathing the entire area with light. A quick look reveals no other shadows in the area. The light also reveals two lines of dead bodies, each line the path taken by one of the shadows. In their passing, they killed all they touched.

“You okay?” Illan asks as he comes to James’ side.

“I think so,” he says. “If it weren’t for Miko’s quick thinking, they may have had me.”

Illan casts a quick glance to Miko and says, “Good job.”

“Thank you,” he replies as he begins moving toward the body of the Raider who fell when he attacked the shadow. The light from the Star flares briefly but winks out a moment later. Getting up, Miko looks to them and shakes his head, then begins moving to the nearest of the unmoving men on the ground on the off chance he can still be of help.

“This wasn’t an attack on us,” Jiron says.

“No,” agrees Illan, “it wasn’t.”

The two lines of dead bodies lie in an almost straight line from the edge of the encampment. It’s quite obvious that they knew who they were after and where he was.

“From this point on,” Illan says, “you have a guard near you while you sleep.”

“My brethren and I will be honored to have that duty,” Brother Willim says.

Illan gives him a nod just as Ceadric returns.

“No one else is out there,” he reports.

“Keep the men out,” he tells him. “I want a revolving pattern around the camp in case more are on the way.”

“What should the men do if they encounter one?” Ceadric asks.

They look to James who says, “Call for help and stay away. They are helpless where these shadows are concerned.”

Nodding, Ceadric turns to begin carrying out his orders.

To the rest of the camp Illan hollers out, “Get back to sleep. It’s over.” When the men begin returning to their bedrolls he glances to the orb shining overhead and says to James, “Don’t need that anymore.”

Canceling the spell, the orb winks out. Light from dozens of lanterns continue to illuminate the area. “Weren’t those things the same as we saw in Willimet?” Jiron asks.

“Exactly the same,” he replies.

“They could have wiped out everyone before they were noticed,” Delia says from where she joins the group.

Nodding, James replies, “Definitely a good portion if that had been their goal. But they were after me.” And that’s what worries him. He feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to find Brother Willim there.

“Don’t worry,” Brother Willim says. “Now that we know what we’re up against, they’ll not so easily get that close to you again.”

“That’s right,” another of the Hand offers.

“Thank you,” he says.

“We still have several hours until dawn,” Illan states. “I suggest we all try to get what sleep we can.” He’s talking to everyone but his gaze is on James.

“Wylick!” Illan hollers.

“Yes, sir,” comes the reply as the tall captain approaches.

“Get a party of men and bury the dead,” he says.

“Yes, sir,” the captain replies as he begins organizing the burial detail.

Nodding, James returns to his blankets, though after such a close call he doubts if he’ll be able to sleep. Captain Wylick and his men get busy carry the dead out of camp and gather them in one area. Then they begin digging a large grave for all of them.

Brother Willim and another of the Hand remain up and as the lights from the lanterns and torches wink out, a soft green glow can be seen emanating from them as they patrol the camp. The glow gives comfort, allowing the mind to rest and sleep to come.