Siege of Pailtar (18 page)

As her new friends went to take down the rails, Kiana stepped into the corral. Carefully making her way to the center, where the flag was stuck in the ground. She watched the cows to see if any were going to be aggressive, but none of them took any notice of her. When she got closer to the flag she started to keep an eye on her ring. So far no color changes or pain. The flag didn’t seem to be warded. Kiana blew out the air she had been subconsciously holding in as she approached the flag.

Seeing that the corral rails were now down, Kiana grabbed the flag and started moving towards the new opening in the corral. At first, none of the cows seemed to respond, but as she got close to the edge of the corral the herd started to turn to follow her. Ethan was right! The cows were following the flag. Kiana looked ahead to see where Aspen was leading her, then back to see if Ethan could see any movement from the house. So far things had gone well.  She couldn’t see Ethan but hadn’t heard a wolf howl so things must still be good she calculated

They were halfway back to the farm when Ethan caught up with the girls and their herd of cows.

“What happened to you?” said Kiana.

“I thought we might want a distraction setup for when the mage finally comes outside, something to keep his attention for a while,” said Ethan.

Kiana could tell the boy had been up to some mischievous behavior by the way too innocent look on his face as he explained himself. “What did you do?” She asked, not sure she actually wanted to know the answer.

“Well, when he opens the door to the house he is going to experience a very interesting illusion. There will be fiery balls raining down from the sky,” said Ethan with an exaggerated display of throwing his hands up in the air and then bringing them down fluttering to represent the falling fire.

“What did you use to make this illusion?” Kiana was sure she knew the answer already but hoped she was wrong. Her sense of smell was giving her a strong indication of what had happened.

Ethan grinned, “Cow poop, of course. I don’t always smell like this. I need to find someplace to wash before we get back to the city. I can hardly stand the smell of myself right now.”

  Kiana agreed, he certainly smelled like he had been playing in shit. “Okay, I suppose that might have been a good idea, but when did you learn how to make fiery cow poop?”

“This morning, it is boring sitting around doing surveillance on a bunch of smelly cows. I had to do something to keep myself occupied. Hey, what do mean you suppose it may have been a good idea? It was bloody brilliant,” protested Ethan.

“Well, it certainly should distract him, and give us extra time to get away. However, I am not sure I would call a fiery cow poop illusion brilliant. Besides that, do you really think it is a good idea to insult a mage that you just finished stealing from? He might have a spell to turn you into a toad.”

Ethan’s smile disappeared as he thought about what Kiana was saying about making an enemy out of a mage. “I think I am going to head back a ways and start making our tracks disappear. You know, just to be on the safe side.”

“That is a good idea. The longer it takes him to figure out where we taking the cows the better--”

Kiana was interrupted by a huge explosion from behind them. Something back at the farm house had just created a massive fireball. “Please tell me that wasn’t your idea of fiery balls raining from the sky.”

Ethan shook his head, “No not even close. That was more like ‘an angry mage just blew something up’ type magic. My illusion was just a little one. I think I will start on those tracks now.”

Kiana sighed, “Yep, angry fireball throwing mage, bloody brilliant plan, Ethan.”

“Hey, he was probably going to be mad at the missing cows anyways. I thought I was buying us more time,” replied Ethan, no longer admiring his own brilliance.

“Who knows, let’s just get the cows back to the farm and our butts back to the city before he finds us,” said Kiana as she started to jog.

“Right, see you back at the farm,” said Ethan as he scurried off to start hiding their trail.

When Kiana and Aspen got back to the farm with the herd of cattle, they had a new problem. What to do with the flag? They couldn’t keep it, or the cows would follow them all the way back to the city. If they left it out in the open then the mage could just grab it again.

Aspen came up with an idea, “We bury it in the ground. Mark the spot, so the Guild can send someone to deal with it, then we get the heck out of here in case that mage is looking for us.”

“Sounds like a plan,” agreed Kiana. The girls found a spot easily marked by nearby landmarks and cut into the ground, removed a small amount of dirt from under the grass, and hid the flag. While the girls were digging Ethan returned.

“Any sign of him?” asked Kiana.

“No, and I covered most of the tracks where we left the ravine so it should take him a while to catch up.”

“Well, let’s not take any chances, let’s get the heck out of here.”

19

Protection

WHEN KIANA GOT HOME it was almost suppertime.
Perfect timing
, she thought,
chasing or leading cows around the country is appetite-building work
. Kiana could smell something delicious cooking, and headed straight for the kitchen.

“As I was telling your mother, this is the best beef in the country. The farmer was so pleased by your returning the cows he paid a little extra as a bonus for each of you. Of course, he paid in meat. So I hope you are not a vegetarian. And no it's not Steak, that cow that you named,” said Keyon as Kiana walked into the kitchen.

How does he always do that, Kiana wondered. There was no way Keyon was around when she was naming the cows, was there? And how did he already know about the cows, talked to the farmer and beat her home? Keyon was full of surprises.

“It’s probably not the wisest choice, stealing from a mage,” cautioned her mother. “I know you were on official Guild business, but that sounds like a powerful mage you three angered.”

“We were sent to deal with missing cows! So we dealt with it,” replied Kiana defensively. She agreed but didn’t want to bring up fact the fiery poop just yet. Ethan’s illusion would make things worse.

Keyon smiled and shook a finger in protest, “Actually if I recall correctly, and I do, you were to provide surveillance.”

“What? We did that, we surveilled the field, spotted a cow heading into the woods, found where it was going then did surveillance on the cows that were there. Then we did surveillance on the cows as they followed us back to the farm.  Besides, you were the one drooling over the prospect of eating some of those speckled cows so much. You said he was paying a percentage for returning the cows. So we did,” said Kiana in an attempt to justify their actions.

“I suppose I wasn’t specific in telling you not to retrieve the cows. Next time I send you on surveillance, I will be more specific, perhaps we will keep you out of trouble then. And for the record I never drooled.”

“Keyon, you actually have a bit of drool right now,” said Lilliana.

“Oh, well okay, maybe I drool a little now and again. You can hardly blame me. That roast smells delicious.”

Kiana had to concede that one to Keyon. The roast did smell delicious. “What was a mage doing stealing cows anyways? I know you say that those cows are extra tasty, but isn’t that a little bit strange behavior for a mage?” asked Kiana.

Keyon nodded in agreement, “Yes, very unusual, I believe the coming war between Morthon and Balta could be at the heart of the matter. Morthon needs food for its troops and has no problem with stealing supplies from Pailtar.”

“Why would Morthon and Balta go to war? asked Kiana.

“Morthon wants war. They would take over the whole continent given time. The only reason they haven’t attacked Pailtar first is Balta is the bigger and richer kingdom. Pailtar is only an independent port city. We are small and hardly worth the hassle of keeping us under thumb, not when their ambitions are so large.

“What would war mean for us?” asked Kiana.

“Well, for the Guild, it means more business. If Morthon is going to be trying to steal supplies, we will likely get protection contracts and some opportunities to retaliate against Morthon.”

“We would take a side in the war?”

“No, the Guild, like Pailtar itself, would be neutral to a war between rival kingdoms. That said, we do not want Morthon defeating Balta, a Morthon empire would be bad business for Pailtar. Dangerous times are ahead. The Guild will likely be secretly very active in the war and even students are going to be affected by it. Dangerous times ahead,” warned Keyon, “there are many wealthy individuals in Pailtar with ties to Morthon. The Guild will be keeping an eye on the situation here and in Morthon.”

“Anything I need to know?” asked Kiana.

“Yes, you should know your magic skills are still abysmal, and need improving. I was suggesting to your mother before you got home that she show you some more of your ring’s secrets. We may not have time for you to learn things at your own pace anymore.”

“Alright, enough work talk for now. Dinner is ready, Kiana go call your father. Keyon will you join us for dinner?” asked Lilliana.

Keyon gave a big smile, “I was terrified you wouldn’t ask. I would be delighted.”

“This roast is really delicious,” said Spencer, as he filled his mouth with more of the delicacy.”

“Speckled cows, it’s some special breed a farmer south of here has been working on. I love it,” gushed Keyon as he ate.

Kiana agreed the meat was very tasty, but her thoughts were not supper. The idea of war on the continent was troubling, if she hadn’t had her ring on, one of them could have been hurt very bad today. She had never imagined herself having to steal from a mage before, and the idea was frightening. She knew so little about magic, and Morthon and Balta were both filled with powerful mages. If war came to Pailtar so would the mages.

After dinner Keyon excused himself, “Lilliana, thank you for a lovely meal. Kiana, I expect you to have some dazzling magic for me next class. Spencer, it was a pleasure, as always.”

When Keyon was gone Kiana asked about the ring. “What did Keyon mean about my ring’s secrets? Does it do more than have an illusion and detect wards?”

Lilliana sighed and sat down, “Yes, it does. I wanted you to learn at your own pace, you have been so magic adverse over the years that I felt it best to let you discover things at your own pace. But it seems that might not be the best course of action any longer. With war looming, the Guild will be busier than ever and life may include more dangers. Since caution is not one of your strong suits then your magical skills are going to need to improve much faster. The ring will allow that to happen.” Lilliana pulled a necklace out from beneath her top, it held a small emerald. This is my gem. During my Guild tests, I had to break into a warlock's house and steal it. It has served me well over the years and I have put many enchantments and spells on it over the years. Your ring is much more powerful. Diamonds are one of the best gems for holding magical energy and I have a friend in Balta whose nephew is capable of making bloodstones. Bloodstones are even more powerful as they combine the magical energies of the mage and the stone. Your ring has been imbued with my blood and yours. It has all the power of my magic along with the potential of yours.”

Kiana thought about this for a moment. Months ago this conversation would have gone much different, as she would not have understood any of it and just brushed it aside as unimportant. Now she understood exactly what her mother was talking about and the importance of her learning more, but she did not understand everything yet. “Why imbued with your blood, and when did you get my blood?”

“I have particularly strong magic blood. It is why I was chosen as an apprentice mage.”

Kiana could not believe her ears, “What are you talking about?”

“I wasn’t always a thief, my dear. When I was young I was chosen by a secret society of mages. I was trained to be a mage, but the mages practiced some very dark magic and were cold blooded and ruthless with no regard for human life. I fled and ended up on the streets of Pailtar. With no money and no friends or family, I used my magic to become a thief. When I became good enough, I was allowed to go to Guild School. That was a very dark time in my life and I have kept it a secret. I prefer to not remember my life before Pailtar. But you deserve to know, and you share my bloodlines so you too likely have strong innate magical powers. As for your blood, the night you came home from the Trollope Estates, I took some, you didn’t feel a thing.”

Kiana was shocked, another huge secret her mother had been keeping from her. Kiana could tell from the pain in her voice that her mother didn’t want to get into too many details about her past before the Guild so Kiana focuses on the powers of her ring instead. “So this bloodstone, how does it work?”

“It works basically the same as a normal imbued gemstone. It just increases the bond between the users and the stone. Since I had both our bloods put in, we both are attuned to the stone. I can fill it with my magical energy, and place enchantments on it and you can use them. As your magic increases you will rely less on the stone and more on your own energies. With a little practice, you will be able to draw on the magic in the gem to do magic. All your spells will be much more powerful.”

Kiana could start to see the possibilities, the bloodstone would allow her great power despite her limited training. “Are bloodstones common? Do most mages use them?”

Lilliana shook her head, “No, bloodstones are rare. The young mage who made this one has a particularly strong earth bond. He can do things normal mages cannot. You are very lucky to have one. The mage only learned of his own powers a short time ago and does not make them to sell. I just have a special relationship with his aunt and was able to convince them of the need.”

“So why do I need a bloodstone anyways? What are you not telling me?”