The Black Mage: Apprentice (44 page)

Terror. Hate. Anger. Rage. The emotions all
raced through me in a coursing panic. Bile filled my throat once
more as sweat and fear drenched my skin. I tried to step back and
tripped, both hands slamming the ground behind me. I cried out as
the burned skin collided with hard earth, extreme pain and heat
searing into my arm.

Jared leaped at me, flattening both wrists
with his hands as his knees pinned my legs.

I will not scream
.

The man bent low, breathing a foul, sour
stench as he thrust his lips on mine. I threw my head forward and
up, slamming it into his nose. Jared jerked back too late. There
was a satisfying crunch and then the thick spray of blood.

"You insolent wench!" The man released my arm
and struck my face, making me see nothing but black until my sight
returned seconds later.

My face stung, but it was nothing compared to
the pain in my hand as he dug his nails into the burn. Tears
swarmed my vision, and I wished desperately I had found a way to
access my magic.
Like Alex
.

Jared reached for the top of my tunic, and I
swung my free arm as hard as it could reach. The man caught it, and
I threw my weight into his hold, hoping to catch him off
balance.

My act failed, and he sent me sprawling back,
slapping me much harder than the last. I prepared for familiar
darkness and was shocked instead when golden hues flooded my
vision.

I barely registered my shock before the
screaming started. I thought it was mine, but it was coming from
the wrong direction.

I wondered if my hearing had been
damaged.

The stifling pressure and golden glow
released its hold. Nothing was keeping me down.

Scrambling in the aftershock, I attempted to
pull myself from the ground, squinting uncertainly at the blinding
light, trying to make sense of what had just taken place.

An immense pounding filled my head as I
continued to stand and stare. The screams were like birdcalls, high
and sharp. They kept going and going, and they hurt my ears. I
clasped my hands to my mouth in an effort to end the noise. But my
lips were shut. The cries were coming from the shimmering thing in
front of me.

All at once my vision cleared, and I saw it
was Jared. He was enshrouded in flame, fire eating away at flesh
and cloth in a frantic inferno. Somehow, someway he had been put
entirely ablaze. And the screaming…it was his.

Without bothering to witness the outcome, I
hobbled past the shrieking figure and undid my mare's lead. Her
eyes were wide and afraid. I prayed she wouldn't try to bolt. She
was still saddled, and all of the supplies were still in their
bags.

I made swift thanks to whatever luck had led
me to this moment and did my best to ignore the pain as I used my
bad hand to steady my grip at the back of the saddle while my good
one gripped the front. Swinging my leg up and over, I was unable to
mask the groan that escaped my lips. Every inch of me smarted.

Giving the mare a reassuring pat that I hoped
was more calming to her than it was to me, I nudged her forward
with my knees.

"What is— Get back here, boy!"

Erwan had returned. He still sounded far
enough away, however, and so I leaned down, painstakingly, and
undid the other two horses' leads.

Try to catch me now.

As soon as my work was finished, I forced
myself into a crouching posture. I dug my heels in and whooped,
letting my charge take off as the other two started and
scattered.

****

Twenty minutes later I came across another
galloping party. It was too dark to see clearly, but there were
only three who could possibly be roaming this road at night. And I
could not wait to find out which.

Pulling at the reins sharply, I steered my
horse into a hard turn, taking off in a different direction.

"Ryiah, is that you?" the other rider
shouted.

This time I turned the mare with much more
ease, answering my brother's call with one of my own. "Alex!" Then:
"Where are the others?"

"I lost them a couple miles back by the
river. They think I am following the stream south. Where are your
two?"

"They don't have their horses."

It was too dark to see Alex's face, but I
guessed he was grinning. "I'd like to hear
that
tale."

I swallowed, uncomfortably aware of my pain
and the searing heat of my hand. My brother would faint when he saw
me in the light. "Alex," I said quietly, "we have to keep going
through the night. We won't be safe until we are through this
pass."

"I know." He paused, "But let's take the rest
of the trail at a walk. If either of us hears something, we can
take off, but these horses need a break. I can barely see in this
awful darkness…" He chuckled. "I don't know about you, but I have
almost fallen off twice tonight and am not willing to test my
luck."

I knew better than to comment. "Let's head
out" was all I said.

My brother let me lead –I had a better head
for directions- and the two of us quietly found our way back to the
main path without further delay.

After another hour of hushed passage, we
finally left the shadows of the forest behind and continued the
remainder of our journey underneath the moon's soft glow and the
occasional glitter of starlight.

Fortunately, we were both too exhausted for
Alex to notice any abnormality in my appearance. Instead, the two
of us remained silently alert, using the remainder of our energy to
listen for any sounds of others approaching.

But we did not have to worry. Not once did we
cross paths with the outlaws. And several hours later, just as the
sun had risen, we came to a very welcome sight. Just beyond the
way, a large, homely looking inn stood out among the hills like a
god among men.

Alex took off with a hoot, and I launched
into chase close behind, eyes glued to the vision ahead.