Ascendant (7 page)

“
Ungrateful scum! I
’
ll get you for this!
”
Togan shouted after his
disloyal fellow criminals.
“
And
you!
”
The
bandit picked up his knife with his one good hand.
“
Forget the girl, I
’
m going to kill you.
”

“
I don
’
t think so.
”
Koren said, keeping
himself between Togan and the girl, his knife ready. For some reason he couldn
’
t explain, with the knife
in his hand, he wasn
’
t
afraid, not one bit. Men on horseback burst out of the woods, and a half-dozen
men slid off their saddles, drawing swords or fitting arrows to bowstrings.
Koren was about to say he was glad to see the men, when their leader, a tall
man wearing a tunic emblazoned with a golden dragon, shouted at his men.
“
Bandits! Seize them both!
Kill them if they move!
”

Koren
’
s heart fell. There he
was, standing over the girl, a knife in his hand, just like Togan the bandit.
Of course the soldiers thought he, too, was a bandit. If he were captured,
Togan would likely confirm that Koren was indeed a bandit, and Koren would be
thrown into a dungeon, or hanged. Koren glanced behind him at the river. He
would rather take his chances in the rapids than be captured by these men.

The leader of
the soldiers saw Koren looking at the river, and knew what he was thinking.
“
Don
’
t you move, boy. I
’
ll shoot you if I must.
”
The man scrambled down
the riverbank.

Just then, the
girl moaned, and raised a hand to her face. It was enough of a distraction for
Koren to spin around, leap onto a rock, and throw himself into the river. He
almost made it, but the soldiers were experienced and disciplined, and one of
the men put an arrow into Koren
’
s
left shoulder. Shocked by the searing pain, Koren dropped his knife, and fell
head-first into the foaming rapids.

“
Find him!
”
The leader ordered, and
two of his men climbed out on rocks into the river, but Koren could not be
seen. The wounded boy had been swept under, likely to drown, if the arrow hadn
’
t killed him.

Koren was
barely aware of something gently rocking him side to side. There was a bright
light above him, he blinked and it hurt to look at the light. He hurt all over,
especially his head and his left shoulder. The rocking motion was making his
shoulder hurt even more, pain which made him grit his teeth and tears to run
down his face. The shock was giving him chills, chills not caused just by the
cold river water. To protect his left shoulder, he rolled to his right, and
almost breathed in a mouthful of water.

He was laying
on his back, in shallow water near a riverbank, below the last of the rapids.
The current was rocking him side to side. Somehow he had survived the trip
through the raging waters. How far he had been pulled down the river, he did
not know. The bright light above him was the noonday sun. This part of the
river was wide and calm, with only a few ripples on the surface to show how
fast the current was moving. It was quiet and peaceful, except for-

Horses. Again
the sound of men and horses. They were hunting him, they would never stop
hunting him. The soldiers would never believe Koren had only wanted to help the
girl, after all, they had seen with their own eyes that he was a bandit, hadn
’
t they? He rolled onto his
knees in the shallow water, and used his right arm to push himself to his feet.
He could barely stand, the pain in his left shoulder was making him sick to his
stomach. He felt with his right hand, and discovered part of the arrow shaft
still stuck out from his shoulder. He needed to get it out, somehow. Later.

Horses
splashed into the water on the other side of the river, and men shouted
something to him. With eyes that could not focus properly, Koren looked back at
the men, then turned and stumbled, tripping over his own feet, into the forest.
The forest would protect him, give him a place to hide, to wait, hidden, until
the soldiers tired of looking for him and went away.

He had not
walked far when he heard horses splashing through the shallow water on his side
of the river, they had swum across. He could see men climbing back onto their
horses, spreading out to search for him.

His life was
so unfair. Cursed to be a jinx. Exiled from his village. Abandoned by his
parents. Forced out of every village in the land. And now, hunted as a bandit.
What did it matter if he died now? Without the supplies in his pack, and with
an arrowhead in his shoulder, he wouldn
’
t
last long in the wilderness anyway. Good riddance to you, Koren Bladewell, the
world said to him, good riddance to the jinx, the world is better off without
you. Koren stopped, and faced the approaching soldiers, his back to a tree. The
arrow shaft brushed against the tree, and Koren
’
s knees buckled with the overwhelming wave of
pain. As the soldiers rode up to circle him, he pitched forward onto the
ground, and the world slipped away.

Lord Paedris
Don Salva de la Murta, master wizard and counselor to the throne of Tarador,
looked down with dismay at the hem of his purple robe, which was dark and wet
from trailing in the river. Certainly, Paedris would have preferred to simply
wear pants, much more practical attire for tramping about in the woods. Being a
wizard, however, indeed, the official court wizard of the land, he had to wear
robes, because that is what people expected. Half the power of being a wizard
was merely looking like a wizard, if Paedris dressed like a farmer then he
might have to turn a couple people into toads to get some respect. Not that he
would, or even could, turn people into toads; the threat was enough. He lifted
his robe out of the water, then dropped it, as he realized he looked like what
women did with their dresses when stepping over a puddle. Perhaps he could get
his robes shortened? He must speak with the royal tailor when he returned to
the castle.

“
Lord Salva?
”
A soldier called out from
the riverbank.

“
Yes?
”
Asked Paedris, without
looking up from the river. Paedris had mostly black hair, gone grey at the
temples, and he wore his hair long, like most men did, although Paedris did not
tie his hair back out of the way soldiers did. A mustache and a short, pointy
black beard added to the wizard
’
s
dignity.
“
What
is it?
”

The soldier
held up a worn pack.
“
I
found this in the woods, it could belong to the boy. Doesn
’
t look like the sort of
thing bandits would carry.
”

“
Very well.
”
Paedris said, and
carefully stepped from one rock to another with long strides, back onto the
riverbank. The soldier, one of the royal guards, was one of the men who had
been in the back of the boat when it was attacked by the bear. The guard who
had been in the front of the boat was on his way back to the Duke
’
s castle. Paedris had
examined the man, he would have an impressive scar on his chest from where the
bear
’
s claws
had raked him, but otherwise should recover fully.
“
Tell me again, from the
beginning.
”

The soldier
related how they had been on a picnic trip for the children, silly, really, but
that is what the princess wanted, and all had been well until the bear charged
out of the woods, with no warning.

“
And you say the boy held
his hand out, like this, and the bear fell over backwards?
”
For Paedris, that
gesture, harm held straight, palm open, was part of a warding spell. Powerful
magic, that was.

“
Yes, my lord. The bear was
on its hind legs, the boy must have startled it. Although it did seem as if the
bear were
flung
backwards, almost, instead of falling. Then, the bear
swatted at its face, as though it were being attacked by bees, and it turned
around and ran back into the woods. It seemed to be blind, Lord wizard."

“
Curious. Most curious.
”
Paedris closed his eyes
and
felt
for the lingering power which permeated the area, the water,
the rocks, the trees. The power was raw, uncontrolled, and frighteningly
strong. The air fairly crackled with connection to the spirit realm. Stronger
than any power Paedris had ever felt before, certainly stronger than any magic
he had been able to handle himself. And there was something else, separate,
something right at the edge of his senses, something sour, and dark, and evil.
That power he recognized, and he feared.
“
Consider
this. A bear, a wild animal that should only be looking to survive in the
wilderness, for no good reason attacks a boat full of armed guards, and charges
straight for Ariana. Of all the people in the boat, it concentrates on her.
Then, this terrible beast who knocked aside three well-armed royal guards-
“

“
Forgive me, Lord Salva,
but it was hardly a fair fight-
“

“
Never interrupt a wizard
when he is thinking!
”
Paedris roared, using the tiniest bit of magic to add emphasis to his words.

The soldier
fell to one knee and bowed his head.
“
Forgive
me, my lord.
”

“
Forgiven. You accounted
very well for yourself. This was no ordinary bear, you faced a dark and foul
magic, and faced it bravely. Now, where was I?
”
Being mildly absent-minded did seem to be
typical of wizards.
“
Ah,
yes. So, this terrible, magic-spelled beast is then scared away by a boy, a
young boy, all by himself. This boy who rescued Ariana from a bear, and a
raging river
and
a gang of bandits. Not bad for a morning
’
s work, eh? I shall need
to speak with this boy, as soon as possible.
”

“
I, uh, I beg to remind
you, my lord, the boy was shot. By mistake. And he was almost drowned. Our
captain fears he will not survive the day.
”

“
Oh,
”
Paedris said with a smile
and a twinkle in his eye,
“
I
think the court wizard of Tarador may be able to do something about that.
”

“
How is the boy?
”
Carlana asked quietly as
she leaned into the doorway.

Paedris rose
from the chair beside Koren
’
s
bed, the wizard had sat with the boy through the night.
“
He will live.
”
Paedris said simply.
“
The wound was not deep,
the arrow hit his shoulder blade, I healed it as best I could. He did lose a
lot of blood, I recommend he drink a broth of beef and vegetables when he
awakens. For now, he is in a deep healing sleep.
”

“
Very well.
”
Carlana didn
’
t need her court wizard to
tell her the best remedy to recover from blood loss. She looked out into the
hallway, and gestured to dismiss her maids.
“
Who is he?"

“
I don
’
t know, we don
’
t even know his name. From
his clothing and the pack we found, I would say he is a peasant, but that doesn
’
t answer what he was doing
alone in the woods. The guards searched the woods and found a camp site, the
boy had been living there for a week or more.
”

“
Hmmmm. This boy, and a
pack of bandits have been using Duke Yarron
’
s private hunting reserve as their
campgrounds, for more than a week?
”
Carlana asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“
I
think the Duke
’
s
sheriff is going to have much to explain.
”

Paedris did
not care about whether people were poaching on the duke
’
s lands.
“
There is one thing of
which we must speak. I don
’
t
know who this boy is, or where he came from, but he is a wizard, the most
powerful wizard I have ever known.
”

“
What? You are sure?
”
Carlana bit her lip. She
saw the look in her wizard
’
s
eyes.

 
Fear.

Paedris was
afraid, afraid of this boy.

“
There can be no mistake
about it. He stopped that bear, without having any idea how he did it. The fact
that the Wizards Council knew nothing of this boy, right here in our midst, is
deeply troubling!
”

“
You didn
’
t know about him?
”
Carlana frowned. The boy
had saved her daughter, three times in one morning. By rights, she should at
least grant the boy a knighthood and a hundred acres of land somewhere. A
thought popped into her head, she put one hand over her mouth, the other over
her heart, and stepped away from the bed.
“
Acedor!
If the Wizard
’
s
Council did not know about him, could he-
“

“
No, no!
”
Paedris dismissed the
idea with a wave of his hand.
“
There
is no trace of the foul magics our enemy uses to confound us. He has
not
come from Acedor, I
’
m
certain of it. When the boy wakes, I will talk to him, learn where he came
from, and what he knows of magic. Until then, we let him rest.
”

Koren awoke to
the sound of voices, women
’
s
voices. He lay very still, and cracked opened one eye just wide enough to see
where he was. In a bed, a big, soft bed, with his head resting on a real
pillow! Beyond the bed, the room appeared to be large, and through an open
window, he could see flags flying in the breeze, and soldiers standing on top
of a thick stone wall. He must be in a castle, somewhere. Koren had never seen
a real castle, the only one around Crebbs Ford was the small building that was
home to the Baron of Crickdon county. What was he doing in-

Soldiers. He
remembered being captured by soldiers.

“
-can
’
t believe everything the
high and mighty tell you, Mathilda, why, I heard the little scamp was living in
the Duke
’
s own
private hunting reserve, he was, poaching deer and scooping up all the fish.
Don
’
t know as
how the Sheriff didn
’
t
find him first, he
’
s
supposed to be patrolling those woods. And you know, Duke Yarron don
’
t take kindly to poachers.
No, he doesn
’
t.
”

“
I
 
heard that poaching be the least of his worries.
”
Said another woman
’
s voice.
“
Found him with a pack of
bandits, the guards did, and he led them on a merry chase before they captured
him. Likely he was trying to kidnap poor Ariana, so you can talk all you want
about him being a scamp, I say he
’
s
a menace, pure and simple. Wouldn
’
t
turn my back on him, I wouldn
’
t,
no matter how young he is.
”

Koren could
hear two women, he was laying on his side, with his back to them.

“
Well, the wizard will have
the truth out of him, sure enough. In here all night with the boy, conjuring up
demons, or whatnot it is wizards do. Gives me the creeps, it does, and the
sooner that wizard is out of here and back to the palace, the happier I
’
ll be.
”

“
It gives me the creeps
just to be in here, where he was working his foul magic. Finish folding those
sheets, Mathilda, and let
’
s
be rid of here. Fancy letting this boy sleep in here! Should be in the dungeon,
he should. They
’
ll
hang him soon enough.
”

There were
rustling sounds, and shoes scuffing across a floor, and a door opening and
closing with a solid thunking sound. Koren remained still for a good minute,
until he was certain the women had gone, before he opened both eyes. His head
was spinning. Duke Yarron? He didn
’
t
know that name, so he must not be in his home Winterthur province. Whoever this
Duke Yarron was, he apparently considered Koren to be a poacher. And a bandit.
And a kidnapper.

Koren raised
his head from the pillow and looked around the room. It was the most fabulous
place he had ever imagined. The ceiling had to be twelve feet high, and the
room was bigger than the entire common room at the Golden Trout Inn in Crebb
’
s Ford. Bigger even than
many barns in his home town. There were pictures in gold-plated frames, large
wall hangings, and an enormous fireplace at the far end of the room, over which
was a crest, a red fox on a field of white. A large, fancy carved desk was up
against the outside wall, Koren could see scuff marks on the stone floor where
the desk had been pushed to make room for the bed he lay in.

Why was he in
such a place? Were the Duke
’
s
dungeons full? Surely the Duke didn
’
t
treat all poachers, bandits and kidnappers by giving them a soft bed to lay in.

A chill ran up
Koren
’
s spine.
The women said something about a wizard, working foul magic on him? Koren
abruptly sat upright in bed, his stomach churning with fear. What had the
wizard done to him?! Koren had never met a wizard, all he knew about wizards
were the fearful stories told around Crebb
’
s
Ford. He pulled up the covers, he still had his own feet, and they worked. So
he had not been turned into a pig, or a toad. The shoulder where the arrow had
hit him was sore, he felt with his right hand and was surprised not to find a
bandage there. Of course, if the Duke was planning to throw him in a dungeon
and then hang him as a bandit, why bother bandaging the wound?

He needed to
escape, now, before those women came back. Or the wizard returned. Slowly,
because his shoulder was sore, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and
stood up. He was dressed in some sort of white gown which was too big, it
draped on the floor. Over the back of a chair next to the bed were black pants
and a gray shirt, in a size that could fit him. He pulled the gown off, and
caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. Surprised, he saw that his left
shoulder, where the arrow had been, was unmarked, there was not even a scar.
Only a redness, like a rash, remained. How had he healed so quickly? Had the
wizard done this? And why?

Answers to his
questions could wait, he needed to escape somehow. He crept quietly over to the
door, and put his ear to it. There were men
’
s voices, talking low. Guards outside the
door. He could not escape that way. Next to the fireplace was another door,
Koren pulled and pushed, and found it firmly locked. That left only the window.
Watching the soldiers atop the stone wall outside to make sure they were not
looking at the window, Koren looked out quickly. There was a ledge below the
window, just wide enough for him to stand on, and the wall was built of rough
stone, for his hands to grip. It was a long way down to the courtyard below.
Beyond the thick wall where the soldiers patrolled, there were the buildings of
a large town, surrounded by farm fields.

Koren pulled
himself back from the window, trying to think what he should do. The sun was
high in the sky, so the ledge below the window was in deep shadow, perhaps the
soldiers would not see him. The soldiers were there to look outward, not in
toward the castle, weren
’
t
they? If he could get to the roof, perhaps he could find a way down to the
ground. Once outside the castle and out into the farmland, he could crawl into
a haystack and sleep there, the hay would keep him warm through the night.
Beyond that, Koren did not know what he would do. Without his knife and the
other things in his precious, lost pack, he could not survive in the
wilderness.

He would go.
Anything was better than being hanged.

The only way
Koren was able to inch his way along the ledge, gripping the stone wall as
tightly as he could, was to keep his eyes closed  His fingers cramped from
the strain of holding onto cracks in the stone wall, and his hands became slick
with sweat.  He inched along, pressing himself against the rough stone
wall, until he felt his left foot touch the edge of the roof. Carefully, he
crawled onto the roof and lay flat on the hard stone tiles, his whole body
shaking with relief.

When he was
able to open his eyes, he was alarmed to see that the roof was only a dozen
feet wide, and there were no windows in the flat stone wall facing him. The
stone roof tiles were old, worn and flaking away in places, and many of them
were slippery with a coating of mold and moss. Koren crawled flat on his belly
to the peak of the roof, but the other side was no better, and the sun shone
directly on that side of the roof, making it impossible to hide.

Maybe if he
crawled down to the edge of the roof, there would be a pipe, or a stone column
or something he could use to climb down to the courtyard. There was no going back
through the window, he would never be able to walk along that narrow ledge
again, his arms and fingers were still trembling. The only way to see over the
edge of the roof was to turn around and slide down on his belly, head-first.

Koren froze.
The roof seemed impossibly steep now that he was facing downward. Slowly, inch
by inch, he slid along the roof, trying to ignore the butterflies in his
stomach. Reaching the edge, he gathered up his courage and crept forward until
his nose was over the edge, and he could see down.

Impossible.
There was no pipe, no stone column. The roof ended in an overhang less than a
foot wide, then a flat stone wall all the way down to the courtyard, four
stories below.

Koren tried to
slide back up, but his pants and shirt got snagged on the roof tiles, and a
tile broke. It clattered along the roof and out into the air, Koren desperately
reached for it and caught it between two fingers. There were people in the
courtyard, a falling roof tile would have made people notice the boy on the
roof, and then it would be straight to the dungeon for him. Carefully, he laid
the broken tile on the roof next to him, and then found he could not move.
Catching the tile had caused him to slide forward, his shoulders were almost
over the edge of the roof. Another inch forward, and he would slide off the
roof and fall. His fingers scrambled for a hold on the slippery tiles, without
success. Koren closed his eyes, unable to look down.

“
Hello over there!
”
Called a voice from the
same window Koren had escaped through. Koren carefully opened one eye to look,
and saw a tall, dark-haired man in a purple robe leaning out the window.
“
That looks very dangerous.
What are you doing out on the roof? Be careful, or you
’
ll fall off.
”
The man asked as he
stepped out the window onto the narrow ledge. Before Koren
’
s disbelieving eyes, the
man strolled casually along the narrow ledge, not holding onto the wall, with a
small plate of pastries in one hand. When he reached the roof, the man stepped
up onto the roof tiles, walked over to Koren, and scooped him up as if he were
light as a feather. He carried Koren under his arm to the peak of the roof, set
the boy down carefully, and lowered himself down next to Koren.