Cold Magics (52 page)

The moment it was in his hand, the enemy broke ranks and fled, trampling on one another as they tried to force their way out of the room. The defenders pursued, hacking at the enemies’ backs as they ran. Thomas stayed where he was, looking at the stone rod in his hand. It still glowed magic. Thomas could feel the strength it, vibrating through the stone.

“Regroup!” screamed Lord John from the floor. “Goshawk!
Goshawk! Thomas!
”

Thomas let the troops pass him and ran back to John. Goshawk joined him a moment later.

“Get them organized,” John said. He forced himself to a sitting position, crying out at the pain of it. “Get them into groups and start searching. And get someone in here to take care of this place before anything else burns. Go!”

Goshawk ran back toward the fighting. John tried to force himself to his knees, wincing with every movement. “Thomas, stay with them. There may be others with magic.”

“I don’t think I have any left,” said Thomas. He still felt all right, but knew that soon the exhaustion would come.

“They don’t know that,” said Lord John.

For the next hour Thomas and his students patrolled the hallways under the command of Baron Goshawk. Men looked at Thomas with fear and gave him a wide berth, but said nothing. The students still followed Thomas’s orders, and Thomas couldn’t tell if the shock on their faces was from battle or from what they had seen Thomas do. He faced no more of the enemy himself, though others flushed them out and half a dozen more small fights broke out. Room by room they secured the castle. Eileen stayed beside him the entire time. She was bleeding, Thomas noticed, but so was he and everyone else by then. At least the cuts didn’t seem serious.

Finally Baron Goshawk told Thomas, “There’s no sign of any left inside. Get to the duke and see what he wants you to do.”

“Aye. Any students you see, send to the great hall.”

“Aye. Good luck.”

They’d lost five more students; three had been injured, two killed. By the time Thomas reached the great hall, the remaining students were with him again. All of them looked exhausted and haunted, but none had run away and none had frozen in the fight. Thomas was as horrified as they were, and proud of them for managing to keep fighting.

Thomas left them in the hallway. The duke was lying on the table, not moving, attended by his physician. Lord John was on another table, cursing quietly as he looked at his father. When Thomas came close he found the duke unconscious, the physician applying a salve to his burns.

“Thomas,” called Lord John. “Report!”

“We’ve searched the castle,” said Thomas, his eyes still on the duke. “Baron Goshawk says the enemy has been routed. He’s still searching for them, but thinks the inner keep is secure.”

“Any more magicians?”

“Didn’t find any.”

“Right.” Lord John looked at his father and cursed once more. “How bad are your injuries?”

“Injuries?” Thomas looked down at the half-dozen cuts he had. “Not bad or I’d have noticed them,” said Thomas.

“Then get outside,” said Lord John. “Get your troops back out to the poor quarter. Chances are, they’re still in the city.”

“Of course,” said Thomas.

“And be careful. You’re all we’ve got.”

***

They jogged into the still-burning city, exhaustion slowing their steps. The barricades and guards were still there, but the men and women who’d been huddled on the far side were gone. Thomas took it as a good sign. They got directions from one of the guards and headed past the barricades. Thomas found Sir Rowland and the knight had Thomas and the students join the patrols. For two more hours they roamed the streets but saw nothing. At last, Henry’s orders came to have them rest in a nearby inn.

The students found the place quickly enough. The building was open, the innkeeper and his wife passing out steaming dishes of stew and cups of hot mulled wine. Thomas and his men joined the troops already in the crowded building. There were only fifteen students now, another one having died in the fighting, and others wounded too badly to keep up. All who remained had injuries, though the wounds were minor.

Thomas was last to get his stew and wine, and by then the students had formed a close knot by the fireplace, save Eileen who stayed by Thomas. The students were looking tired and hurt and shocked, and the glances they threw in his direction were fearful. Thomas took a drink of his wine, being careful not to spill it as the trembling began again in his hands. “Circle up.”

They opened their ranks to form a tight circle around him, eyes wary. Thomas stepped into the gap, Eileen beside him. “Now you know why I’m here,” he said. “And you all need to follow me, without question. Understand?”

Heads nodded around the circle, some slower than others. Thomas took Sir Rowland’s line. “The correct response is, ‘Yes, Captain.’”

“Yes, Captain,” said the students in a ragged chorus. They all said it, though, including Eileen.

“Good,” said Thomas. “We can argue about the theological implications of all this after we get through the night. Now eat, drink and try to get some sleep.”

“Yes, Captain.” The chorus was a little less ragged that time. Thomas turned his attention to his own food and drink, and managed to get most of it down before Henry arrived and called his captains together inside the tavern. Over the course of the meal, Thomas’s hand-tremors had become a full-body shiver. He worried he wouldn’t be able to stay awake, let alone call any magic.

“How was it at the castle?” Henry asked.

“Bad,” said Thomas. “But we fought them back.”

“Magic?”

“Yes,” said Thomas, not adding anything more. He half-expected Henry to demand a full report, but the young lord only nodded.

“We haven’t seen any more of that here,” said Henry. “How are you?”

“I was fine while we were fighting,” said Thomas. “I didn’t use it all. But now the shakes have set in. I don’t know how long I’m going to be awake. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” said Henry. “Go upstairs, find a bed and sleep. Have a couple of students guard the building. Alternate one hour shifts so everyone gets some sleep. We’ll come get you if we run into magic. We’ve got to go through the poor quarter building by building, and we’re not even close to half done. We’ll be at it until tomorrow night, at this rate.” Thomas stood where he was, swaying, until Henry said, “Go now, Thomas.”

“Yes, Lord Henry.” Thomas pushed himself to his feet, feeling his legs tremble under the weight of his body. He made it to the stairs, and then up. Eileen followed. He found an empty room with a bed and managed to walk to it with some semblance of control over his limbs.

“I’ll get the fire started,” said Eileen.

“Do that later,” said Thomas. “Tell the squad leaders to organize watches. Anyone who wants to sleep in here is welcome to do it. It’s probably warmer than downstairs.”

He settled back on the bed, closed his eyes, and was asleep in moments.

***

“You bloody fool!”

The shout pierced Thomas’s brain and he recognized George’s voice even before he was fully awake. He forced his eyes open. Eileen was standing in front of the small fire burning in the fireplace, shushing George and pointing at Thomas. George was gripping his sword-belt in both hands, strangling it instead of his sister. His armour and surcoat were covered in soot and blood and mud. “Don’t you tell me to shush! You could have been killed!”

“So could you!”

“You could have stayed in the castle! You should have!”

“I was in the castle!” Eileen shouted back. “We were called back to it when it was attacked! Half of it was on fire! Don’t tell me it would have been safer!”

“If you’d stayed in Thomas’s tower—”

“I would have been half-crazy worrying about you both!”

“So you went out with him?”

“Well, I couldn’t go with you, could I?”

Thomas pulled himself up to sit, and George immediately rounded on him. “What in the name of the Four were you thinking?!”

“I already told you, I snuck in!” Eileen shouted at her brother. “He didn’t know until it was too late!”

“Shut up!” Thomas shouted before George could say anything. “The pair of you! There’s people sleeping below and they don’t need to hear you!” Eileen opened her mouth and Thomas added, “That’s an order! You wanted to be in the troop, so do as you’re told!”

Eileen glared at him, but said, “Yes, Captain,” and stomped out of the room.

Thomas put his head in his hands, scrubbing at his face and willing away the exhaustion. When he looked back up, George was still glaring at him. “Yell at me after we’ve won the war,” said Thomas. “What time is it?”

“Not quite dawn,” said George.

“Any more magic?”

George shook his head. He was still furious, but underneath it George looked exhausted and haunted and much, much older than his eighteen years.
Or is it nineteen now?
Thomas wondered. “When is your birthday, George?”

George looked surprised. “End of the summer, a week after you left.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

George shrugged. “Didn’t seem that important. Why?”

Thomas shook his head. “I don’t know. Are you all right?”

“I’m all right,” said George. “Got a couple of cuts but nothing bad. We lost a pair of knights to ambushes, and another pair in the fighting, and probably a couple of dozen of the footmen.”

“We lost about eight of the students,” said Thomas. “Most wounded; some dead. One lost his hand.”

“Can you fix him?”

Thomas shook his head. “I wouldn’t know how. Are they still fighting?”

“Not for an hour or more.”

“Good. Any orders from Henry?”

“Aye. You need to be in the practice room this morning, to see who is going to come and challenge you.”

“Oh, by the Four.” Thomas shook his head. “I’d forgotten.”

“I’m sure they have, too,” said George. “But Lord Henry says you need to be there and to bring the students with you in case the lords have some ideas about all going at once.”

“After last night, I really doubt anyone is going to try,” said Thomas, remembering the battle and the bodies on the floor. “I don’t even know how many of them are still alive.”

“Hadn’t thought of that,” said George.

“At least now we might be able to get this over with,” said Thomas. “The duke will have no choice but to go after the enemy, and then maybe we can get this finished and go home.”

“Home would be good,” said George, and for a moment Thomas saw past the armour and the blood to the exhausted, horrified young man beneath it. “I’d really like to go home.”

Thomas nodded. “Me, too.” He pushed himself off the bed and stood. He wasn’t dizzy, and while he was tired, it wasn’t the bone-weary exhaustion from the magic. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about Eileen being in the fight,” Thomas said as he headed for the door. “I kept her as safe as I could.”

“When the war is over, I’m knocking your head off your shoulders,” said George, but there was no energy in it. Thomas punched him in the shoulder and the two headed downstairs.

The common room of the tavern was much warmer, with a fire in the fireplace and students and troops sprawled over benches and chairs, asleep. No one seemed to have been disturbed by the yelling. Thomas did a count and found twelve students including Kevin, the squad leader, who was asleep on the floor near the fire. Eileen was standing against the wall, sulking. Thomas nudged Kevin with his boot. It took a few tries and several moments of blinking and grunting before he was awake. “Thomas,” Kevin said at last. “I mean, Captain. What’s up?”

“We are,” said Thomas. “Get everyone awake and ready to move. We need to get to the castle.”

Kevin practically leapt to his feet. “More attackers?”

“No,” said Thomas. “Something far more stupid. I’ll explain when everyone is gathered outside. Where’s Mark?”

Kevin looked around. “If he’s not in here, he should be on watch outside the door. I’ll get everyone moving.”

Thomas stepped outside into the bitter cold of the morning. Mark and another student whose name Thomas couldn’t remember were on either side of the door. Both straightened when they saw George and then edged away when they saw Thomas.

“We’re getting ready to move,” said Thomas. “Get your squad together, Mark.”

“Yes, sir.” Mark went inside.

Thomas stamped his feet in the snow, wishing it was warmer. From the tavern he could see no sign of the fights that had raged through the streets the night before, though if he looked down the streets he could see smoke from the still-burning fires. The sky above was grey and heavy and threatening. “Think there will be snow today?”

“Hope so,” said George, untying his horse from its hitching post. “It would help.”

 Thomas sighed. “At least you get to ride.”

“Makes it easier for the enemy to shoot at us,” he said, mounting. “Hurry up.”

George was not going to easily forgive him, and Thomas couldn’t blame him. He left the man alone and turned back to his troop. The students came out in twos and threes, looking ragged and tired. Eileen stood in line with the rest of them, waiting. Fifteen left, including her. Thomas didn’t want to think of the wounded or the dead. And he really didn’t want to think about what the day would bring. Still…

“We need to go back to the castle,” he explained. “We need to go to the practice room and—in what you will all no doubt consider the height of stupidity after last night—I need to be ready to duel whoever comes to challenge me.”

The outbursts from the students were exactly as Thomas expected. He let them complain for a little while, then continued. “You need to come with me because there is a chance that these buffoons will decide to come after me and kill me in a group, rather than facing me one on one.” That brought more complaints. Thomas raised his voice above them. “That said, there’s a fair chance that none of this is going to happen, since several of them are dead and I doubt the rest are in the mood to do more fighting. So get with your partners and let’s go.” He looked over the group. “Where’s Wilson?”