Bronze Magic (Book 1) (65 page)

“Well, blast the lot of you!” exploded Tarkyn in frustration. “Here I
am trying to fulfil my vow to protect you and fight for you all and all
you want to do is keep me mollycoddled and safe.” He hitched his pack
angrily. “What’s the point in being a champion tournament fighter if I
can’t even put it into practice?”
“The power you drew from the tree yesterday saved us all from the
storm and whatever was waiting for us on the high ground,” pointed out
Waterstone, walking quickly to keep up with the prince’s agitated strides.
Tarkyn threw him a seething glance. “I was hardly putting myself on
the line to do that. I, myself, wasn’t in any danger.”
“You don’t have to put yourself in danger to work to protect us. You
can do most things from a distance anyway,” objected the woodman. He
paused, “Danger is not necessarily something to be sought after…. On
which point, may I have a few words in private with you?” He smiled
perfunctorily at the other two. “I won’t keep him long.”
So saying, Waterstone turned his footsteps apart from the others,
calmly assuming the disgruntled young prince would follow him. Tarkyn
shot an angry parting glare at the other two and did indeed follow in the
woodman’s wake. By the time they were out of earshot and out of sight,
Tarkyn’s curiosity had gone a long way towards dampening his anger.
Waterstone gave him a warm, solid smile and under its influence, Tarkyn
could feel himself becoming calmer and more centred.
Eventually, he smiled back, once more on an even footing. “All right.
I know. I’m being silly. I just hate feeling trapped by people’s good
intentions and by the forest.”
Waterstone’s eyes twinkled. “Not so silly. It’s disappointing to miss out
on the excitement, such as there may be.”
“Be fair, Waterstone. It is not the excitement.” Tarkyn gave a slight
smile. “Well, not just the excitement.”
“I do know that,” replied Waterstone dryly. He hesitated, “Tarkyn,
there is something I wanted to ask you.” He wove his way through a thick
cluster of bushes then stopped to watch Tarkyn emerge behind him.
“Tarkyn, I need to ask a favour of you.” He took a deep breath. “While
Ancient Oak and I are undertaking this rescue attempt and afterwards
if things go awry, could you, I mean would you, look after Sparrow and
keep her safe?”
The colour drained from Tarkyn’s face. He stared at the woodman.
Seeing the prince’s reaction, Waterstone’s face tightened. “I’m sorry. I
should not have asked you….”
Tarkyn shook his head a little and frowned fiercely. “No, Waterstone,
you should ask. Of course I will look after Sparrow. I am her uncle.
Remember? And I accept wholeheartedly that family members ‘may call
upon each other’s strength in times of need.’” He waved his hand and let
it fall. “I am just shocked, that’s all. Your request has finally brought home
to me the seriousness of what is about to happen. It’s deadly serious, isn’t
it?” He gave a wry half smile and scratched his head. “I am offended by
my own behaviour.”
Waterstone gave Tarkyn a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on
yourself. I know you want to play your part in protecting us.”
“Yes I do, and I have to warn you, I really do not like being dictated
to.”
They travelled in silence for a while as they negotiated a shalecovered steep downward slope dotted with spiky bushes that provided
unwelcoming handholds. When they reached the bottom of the gully,
they scooped handfuls of water from a clear stream before tackling the
loose footing of the next steep slope. The effort of picking their way
diagonally up the treacherous shale put paid to any conversation until
they reached the top of the rise.
Tarkyn stood with his hands on his hips as he caught his breath and
broached the subject he had been dreading, “Waterstone, I also have
something I need to say.” He glanced at his friend and took a deep breath,
“I am very much afraid that all woodfolk are now subject to the oath.”
Waterstone looked aghast.“No! They can’t be.”
Tarkyn smiled sadly. “I can see from your face, my friend, how much
you still dread that your kin should be subject to my authority, despite all
my efforts to mitigate it.”
“No matter how kind or careful the subjugation, it is not freedom,”
responded Waterstone tartly.
Tarkyn raised his hand dispiritedly and let it fall. “Anyway, I don’t
want them to know.”
Waterstone looked stonily at him. “What makes you suddenly think
they are subject to the oath?”
“Rainstorm’s attack. You had your back to the turbulence in the trees.
I hope no one else noticed. He attacked me again later, just to test it and
the same thing happened.”
“Oh stars above, Tarkyn! How did this come about?”
Tarkyn gave the ghost of a smile, “At least you’re not assuming
I deliberately caused it.” He shook his head, “I don’t know. I think
it was either when the woodfolk said they couldn’t help their own
people to break an oath, or when you and I joined arms in the
woodfolk ceremony.”
The woodman threw up his hands. “This is going to cause mayhem.”
“Waterstone, you weren’t listening. I said I don’t want them to know.”
Waterstone stopped dead, clearly thinking through all the ramifications.
“Not telling them will work on the short run to avoid more resentment
provided, of course, that you don’t issue any direct orders.” A thought
struck him. “It could just be the forest protecting its guardian.”
“Maybe. I hadn’t thought of that. Either way, only Rainstorm and
North Wind know about it and I want it to stay that way. Unless we can
be sure that it is, in fact, only the forest protecting its own, I don’t want
anyone else to know.”
Waterstone raised his eyebrows. “Is that an order?” he asked caustically.
“Don’t do this to me,” said Tarkyn tiredly. “If your principles insist
that you go back there and upset a whole lot of people when they need to
be working together, go right ahead. I’m not going to stop you.” Tarkyn
turned his steps in the direction that Danton and Stormaway had taken.
“And if you want to have a council of war with all woodfolk to decide
how to deal with this person who has subjugated you, and stolen your
freedom, just do it. I think it’s time we rejoined the others.”
In a woodfolk flick of movement, Waterstone was suddenly standing
on the path ahead of the prince, facing him.
Tarkyn stopped and put his hands on his hips. “Now what?”
“I am sorry, my friend, for being unkind. Just as anger overwhelms
you, so does resentment overwhelm me from time to time. We both
know the situation was not of your making.” Waterstone grimaced,
“I wish I could say that I hadn’t meant to upset you but that wouldn’t
be true. The best I can say is, that now I have upset you, I am
remorseful.”
The prince heaved a sigh, his face shuttered. “Life was a lot easier when
it wasn’t an affront to anyone if I issued an order. And life was a lot
easier when I didn’t know most of my liegemen. And although you may
be remorseful, the damage is done. Your fundamental attitude to me is
painfully clear. So, let’s leave it, shall we?”
Tarkyn pushed past Waterstone and continued up the path. Moments
later, Waterstone again stood before him barring his way.
The prince’s eyebrows snapped together. “Now I am really getting
angry. Get out of my way!”
“No!” The trees on either side of them thrashed in a sudden whirlwind.
“Be angry if you like. We must resolve this.”
“There is nothing to resolve!” stated Tarkyn flatly and moved forward
to pass Waterstone again.
Waterstone flicked himself backwards several yards so that he was yet
again standing in front of Tarkyn.
The prince’s eyes glittered. “Do you know how much restraint I am
using to prevent myself from throwing a spell at you?”
Waterstone gave a little bow, “Much appreciated. Although, of course,
it would be cheating, wouldn’t it?”
“You’re using magic. Why shouldn’t I?”
The woodman shook his head. “I’m not using it on you. I’m using it
on me.”
“That’s a specious argument, if ever I heard one. You’re using it to
affect me.”
Waterstone shrugged, “Needs must. We can’t afford to be at loggerheads
right now. So stop running away and listen to what I have to say.”
Tarkyn crossed his arms and stared grimly at the woodman. “I’m
listening.”
“Tarkyn, you’ve always known I resented you becoming our liege lord.
You saw it in my memories and I told you this morning how much I hate
the oath. But that is not the most important factor in my dealings with
you. Nearly always, you and I are on the same side. I’m not just supporting
you because I have to…I don’t have to. You have allowed us the freedom to
speak our thoughts. In fact, you have insisted on it. I might wish that that
freedom was not at your discretion but that is the best the situation allows.”
Waterstone shrugged. “I am not going to stand here extolling your virtues
to convince you that you mean more to me than an imposed ruler. You
must know that. I just reacted badly when the whole issue of the oath came
up again. I can’t undo it. I can only reiterate that I am sorry.”
Tarkyn uncrossed his arms and sighed. “And I reacted badly to your
resentment. Stormaway did warn me, if you remember, that I must allow
for it.” He started to walk along the path and this time, Waterstone turned
and fell in beside him. “So, do you agree that we shouldn’t tell anyone?”
Waterstone smiled, “Yes, although it would be nice to give them one
in the eye.”
The prince glanced at him, “I did wonder about that; whether the oath
might be creating a class difference, so to speak. The free and the oathbound.”
The woodman nodded shortly. “It is a bit, with, as you know, the
home guard on the bottom of the heap.”
“Ironic, isn’t it? In sorcerer society, the home guard would be on the
top of the heap.” Tarkyn glanced at the woodman again before chancing
his next comment, “So, it would be much better if everyone were subject
to the oath, wouldn’t it?”
Tarkyn watched as his friend repressed a quick frown of consternation.
The woodman glanced at the prince to find him smiling in anticipation.
“Very funny,” scowled Waterstone. “In actual fact, it would be easier
for us and harder for them.” He shrugged and after some hesitation
added, “But in truth, I wouldn’t wish it on them.”
“No,” said Tarkyn quietly, “Neither would I.”
hen the woodman and the sorcerer rejoined Danton and Stormaway,
they found them deep in conversation with Summer Rain.
Stormaway looked around as they arrived and said buoyantly, “She’s
cracked it. Summer Rain has come up with the perfect plan for dealing
with the wolves.”
“Well done,” said Tarkyn, falling into the natural assumption that
their actions were aimed at pleasing him. After a moment, he frowned.
“But I didn’t know you could use magic.”
“I can’t,” replied Summer Rain. “But magic is not the answer to all
problems.”
“True. So what have you come up with?”
“Poison. Stormaway can dope the wolves’ food. It doesn’t have to be
lethal, just enough to put them to sleep for a few hours. Stormaway and
I can easily concoct something.”
Tarkyn beamed. “Brilliant! We were all so focused on using magic that
we forgot straightforward ideas. Now all we have to do is come up with
a distraction.” The prince gazed around at them all. “That will be easy
enough. I’ll just shoot a ray of my bronze magic up into the sky from a
safe distance and they will all come rushing to look for me.”
Three people looked at him in consternation while Waterstone said
dryly, “That would work, certainly.” He continued sarcastically, “Of
course, it would give your presence away and give them a signpost to the
location of the rest of the woodfolk in the expedition but other than that,
great idea.”
“Do you think?” said Tarkyn, laughing at their reactions. “Actually,
I was thinking that I could probably link up with the horses in
the encampment and ask them to create a distraction. What do you
think?”
“Much more sensible,” replied Summer Rain repressively.
Tarkyn’s eyes met Waterstone’s and lit with amusement. Danton
spotted this and looked quickly away, experiencing a stab of envy that
he quickly repressed as being unworthy. Amidst this group of strangers,
Danton suddenly felt very lonely. Gradually, he became aware of a wash
of quizzical understanding seeping into him and looked up to see the
prince watching him.
“I’ll tell you later,” mouthed Tarkyn silently.
A little ball of tension disappeared inside Danton as he smiled back
and nodded.
The five of them were walking along a winding path through a grove
of tall spreading beeches catching the last of the afternoon sun when
Danton was finally able to speak to the prince.
“So what was that all about with you and Waterstone and Summer
Rain?”
Tarkyn raised his eyebrows, “Very good, Danton. You got their names
right.” He smiled, “Summer Rain has no sense of humour. So Waterstone
and I were just smiling about it. It can be very daunting if you crack
a joke and she reacts totally seriously. I’ve done it often, much to my
discomfort. She’s a competent healer, though. She brought me through
after my run-in with Andoran and Sargon.”
“What happened? Stormaway said you were badly injured.
Despite himself, Tarkyn couldn’t bring himself to reveal everything to
his friend. “I fell out of the tree that I had escaped into. The fall dislocated
my shoulder and broke several ribs. Apparently, I hit my head several
times on the way down and was unconscious for nearly two weeks.”
“Stars above, Sire!” Danton’s eyes were round. “Those men should be
horse-whipped for what they did to you.”
Tarkyn smiled wryly, “Unfortunately the opposite is true. If they had
succeeded in returning me, they would have been rewarded instead.”
“And what is the reward, I wonder?” asked Danton in an unnervingly
thoughtful voice.
Tarkyn flicked a sideways glance at him, “I don’t know, but I’m sure
it would be enough to set you up comfortably for the rest of your life. I
would be offended, if it were any less.”