Cold Magics (57 page)

“Any sign of the enemy in the city?” he asked.

“None,” said Henry. “Everyone is off the street and in their houses, and we haven’t had to arrest anyone, yet.”

“That’s something, anyway.”

“Aye.”

They walked on in silence for a while longer, until Thomas asked, “How’s your father?”

“He took some nasty cuts and got burned in the first attack, but the healers say he’ll recover. He just needs to rest.”

“Do you want me to…?”

Henry shook his head. “No. We need you at full strength tonight.”

“All right.” The cold was penetrating through Thomas’s gloves, and he pushed his hands under his armpits to keep them warm. “In the morning I’m going to heal the two students who are dying.”

“Do you have the strength to save both?”

“I don’t know,” said Thomas. “I don’t think so. But if I can do with them what I did for Lord Charles and just bring them back from the edge, that should do the trick.”

“Assuming they’re alive in the morning.”

“Aye.” Thomas peered at the men around the campfires. “What happens to them? Richard said they were going to be the vanguard of our attack on the enemy.”

“Richard wants them out of the city,” said Henry. “They march in the morning, and the women and children with them.”

“They’ll never survive.”

“There’s a town about two days’ walk east,” said Henry. “It got overrun, but it’s pretty much intact. The mercenaries will go with them and turn it into an armed camp. Richard’s Bears have been summoned and will be joining the troops there.”

“And so will I, I take it?”

“Aye, but not for a few days,” said Henry. “Your lot will be marching with the Wolves and me, guarding the first supply train.”

“That is going to be a cold, miserable walk,” said Thomas.

“At least we’ll get a chance to face down the enemy, instead of hiding from them,” said Henry. He looked at the men huddled in the square. “They may be miserable, but they’ll fight like mad to be able to go home.”

“I suppose.”

Henry left after they finished the round of the square. Thomas and his students kept their long vigil until dawn when their relief—a troop of mercenaries—arrived. The students trooped wearily back to the castle, too tired to even complain about the cold or the length of the night. As soon as they reached the castle gates, Thomas asked for hot food to be delivered for the men. A guard went to the kitchens and Thomas led his men to the barracks.

Inside, the four injured men were still asleep. The less badly wounded of them stirred when the door opened, and greeted the returning students. The others didn’t move. In one corner, the healer lay, asleep, wrapped in his cloak. The students set about building up the fires. Thomas went over and gently shook the healer’s shoulder. He blinked himself blearily awake. “Captain?”

“Aye,” said Thomas. “How are they?”

“Unchanged,” said the healer. “The two with belly wounds are the same. The others are healing.”

“Even the amputation?”

“Yes,” said the healer. “There’s the danger of infection, of course, but there’s no sign of that, yet.”

“Take yourself out of here for a time,” said Thomas. “Get food from the kitchens and some rest. Return again this afternoon.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The healer rose and, gathering his bag and cloak, left. Thomas watched him go. “Mark?”

“Aye, Captain?”

“Lock the door.”

Mark looked surprised, but did as he was told. Thomas went to the bedside of one of the men with a belly wound and began unwrapping his bandages.

“What are you doing?” demanded Marcus. “You’ll kill him.”

“No,” said Thomas. “I’m going to try to heal him.”

“You can heal?” Marcus sounded stunned.

“It takes a lot out of me,” said Thomas, “but yes, I can heal.”

“Why didn’t you do that last night?” demanded one of the wounded. “Why don’t you heal us all?”

“I only have so much magic,” said Thomas. “If I use too much, I pass out. And after last night, I didn’t really have any left.”

“But you can heal them now, right?” asked Mark.

“I think so,” said Thomas. “But if I heal one all the way I won’t have enough to heal the other.” Thomas pulled away the last of the bandages and stared at the student’s open, ulcerated stomach. With the bandages gone, a foul smell rose up from the man’s body.

“What about my arm?” demanded Charles. “Can you bring it back?”

“I don’t know,” said Thomas. “I’ll try to heal you tomorrow, if I can, but I don’t think I can grow you a new arm.”

“Oh.” He looked down at the stump where his hand used to be. “Fine.” He turned over in the bed, facing away from Thomas. Thomas felt his heart go out to the man, but couldn’t do anything more. Instead, he put his hands over the unconscious student’s wounds, muttering the five words of the spell over and over as he focused on sending his magic into the other’s body. His hands started to glow white almost at once, and even though he knew the light was visible only to him, he glanced at the others to see if they had noticed anything. They stood, looking at him and waiting. Thomas turned his attention back to the injury.

Thomas lost track of the time, staring at the man’s open belly and speaking the words of the spell, before he realized that the smell was fading, and the wound beginning to close. He stopped chanting and pushed himself to his feet. His hands were shaking, but not badly, and his knees felt no weaker than they had when he first knelt down. “Bandage him up. I’ll start on the other one now.”

He went to the other bed, knelt down, and began removing the bandages. The same rank odour rose from the man’s open belly. Thomas held his hands over the wound. He marshalled his strength as best he could, then began chanting again. This time it felt like much, much longer before the smell faded and Thomas could see the wound starting to knit itself together.

He stopped and attempted to stand. The ground seemed determined to slip away from him, this time, and he ended up sitting on the floor, waiting for his vision to clear. When it did, he tried again.

Marcus was at his side when he lost his balance and caught him before he collapsed again. Thomas held onto him until the dizziness faded, then slowly righted himself. “I think,” he said, “I’m going to need help getting back to my tower.”

“No problem, Captain,” said Marcus.

“Are you going to be all right?” asked Mark.

“Aye,” said Thomas. “It’s just tiring. I need to sleep for a bit.”

“How about them?” asked another student.

“I don’t know,” said Thomas. “But I think they’ll be all right. Have the healer keep an eye on them, and let me know if they get worse.”

“We will,” said Mark. “Do we know what we’re doing tonight?”

“Sleeping, I think,” said Thomas. “The refugees are being sent out today to take control of a town about two days south of here. We’ll be joining them with the rest of the army in two or three days.” The room went dark a moment, and Marcus gripped him tighter. “God, I hate this. I’ll talk to everyone this afternoon, all right?”

“All right, Captain,” said Mark. “See you then.”

Marcus led Thomas out of the barracks and to his room. Two knights wearing the livery of the Golden Bear stepped in behind them. “Are you all right, Captain?” asked the first.

“Tired, is all,” said Thomas.

“Lord Richard wants to speak to you.”

Thomas swore with great feeling. “Tell me he’s not too far away.”

“In the council chamber,” said the second knight. “Do you need a hand?”

“I’ve got him,” said Marcus.

“He does,” agreed Thomas. “I’ll be walking on my own soon. I just need to recover a bit.”

“I thought it was a quiet night out there,” said the first knight.

“The night was,” said Thomas. “The morning has been busy, though. Lead on.”

They led. Back down the halls, through the great hall and up to the council chambers. By the time they were halfway there, Thomas was walking on his own, albeit slowly. Marcus stayed by his side, keeping an anxious eye out and occasionally lending a hand to steady Thomas when he started wobbling.

Gods, I feel like an old man
, Thomas thought.
Am I hurting myself, doing this?

Thomas managed to reach the council chamber without falling, which he counted as a victory of sorts. The knights knocked, then let him in. “Alone,” they said to Marcus. “Lord Richard wants a private word.”

Marcus looked to Thomas.

“It’s all right,” said Thomas. “I’ll be out soon, I’m sure.”

Marcus nodded and took up a station across the hall, leaning against the wall. Thomas went inside. Richard was sitting alone, looking at several maps of the duchy. “Thomas, hello,” he said. “Report.”

“Not much to report,” said Thomas. “We spent the night watching a bunch of people getting cold. Then we left. No magic, no attacks, no nothing.”

“Then why can you barely stand?” asked Richard.

“I healed a couple of the students,” said Thomas. “The magic takes the strength out of me.”

“Interesting,” Richard looked thoughtful. “Does magic do that to everyone?”

“I don’t know,” said Thomas. “It might be because I have more magic in me than I’m supposed to have. So when I use it, it drains me more than it would someone else.” He swayed and put his hand on the table for balance. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” said Richard, rising from his seat. “Can you summon more magic when you’re like this?”

Thomas shook his head. “I need to sleep first. For as long as possible.”

“Do that, then,” said Richard. “We’ll have a couple of days to recover before we march south to join the refugees and find the enemy.”

“We?” said Thomas. “You’re coming?”

Richard looked chagrined. “I probably spoke too soon on that,” he said. “I’ll be coming if my father is well enough to rule. Otherwise, I’ll need to stay here.”

“Fair enough,” said Thomas. “About your father—I told Henry last night that I would heal him if he needs it.”

Richard shook his head. “No need. He was not hurt that badly, and with the way people are reacting to magic right now, he thinks it’s better if he heals by himself. Thank you, though.”

Thomas nodded. “Is there anything else, Lord Richard?”

“One thing,” said Richard, taking Thomas’s arm and steering him to the door. “I know you are worried about what having the church’s army here will mean for you.”

“Aye, a little.”

“Well, don’t be. The church is just another tool to use. We’ll keep you safe from them, I promise.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Now get some rest.”

The fire was burning high in his room when Thomas arrived. Eileen rose from the chair by the fire and took Thomas’s arm from Marcus. She thanked him, then sent him on his way. The room was clean, to Thomas’s surprise, and there was food laid out on the table. Eileen led him to the chair by the fire. “Thomas? Are you all right?”

“Healed the students,” said Thomas. “At least, I think I did.”

“You can’t tell?” Eileen crossed the room and took his arm, and led him to the chair.

“Couldn’t heal them all the way,” said Thomas. “Didn’t have the strength.”

“Oh.” Eileen helped him get the coat and mail shirt off, then put a bowl of porridge and a piece of bread in front of him. Thomas ate it all and was reaching for more before Eileen was halfway through her own, smaller bowl. Thomas could feel some of his shakiness retreating. He was still exhausted and looking forward to going to bed. He ate a second bowl full of the porridge, this time slowly enough that he could tell Eileen about the night.

“I’m glad,” said Eileen, when he finished. “I know you must have been bored to tears, but I’m glad nothing happened.”

“Me, too,” said Thomas. “With luck, we won’t have anything to do before we march.”

“I hope not,” said Eileen. “How long before you—”

There was a loud knock at the door. “Captain Thomas?”

Thomas pushed himself to his feet. He was steady again, but more than ready to sleep. He went to the door and opened it. “Yes?”

“Message for you, Captain,” said the knight, handing him a folded paper, sealed with wax.

“Thank you,” said Thomas. “Did they want an answer?”

“A page brought it. He didn’t say,” said the knight.

Thomas broke the seal and read it.

“From Barry Wagman,” said Thomas. “The bookstore owner. He says something came in that might be of interest.” Thomas looked at the knights. “This was delivered just now?”

“Yes, Captain,” said one of them.

Thomas, feeling weary to his bones, thanked them, and searched for his jacket.

“What are you doing?” asked Eileen.

“Going to see,” said Thomas. “It might be something useful.”

“Or a romance novel with a silly charm in it.”

“It might well be,” Thomas said. “You stay here and get some sleep—”

“Oh, no. I’m not letting you out of my sight today. And don’t tell me it’s too dangerous,” she added before he could say anything. “You said there’s none of the enemy left in the city. I’m coming with you.”

Thomas shook his head. “Fine. But change and get your rapier.”

“We’ll be coming with you, too,” said one of the knights.

“I thought you were just protecting me in the castle,” said Thomas. “Otherwise I would have asked you to join us last night.”

“Last night you were in the middle of an army. Today you’re by yourselves.”

“True enough,” said Thomas. “We’ll appreciate the company.”

“I’ll meet you in the great hall,” said Eileen.

“I’ll go with you, miss,” said the first knight.

Eileen let the other knight catch up before heading down the stairs. Thomas got his coat and cloak and rapier and went down to the great hall, his own knight on his heels. A couple of questions got him Henry’s whereabouts, which didn’t surprise him. Eileen came down not long after, dressed in her boys’ winter clothes and wearing her rapier, her own knightly escort right behind. “I couldn’t find George,” she said.

“He’ll be with the rest of the Wolves,” said Thomas, “and with Henry. They’re all on escort duty today.”