The Unsuspecting Mage (36 page)

Realizing that the number of onlookers is growing, he again turns his attention to Furball and very slowly starts to reach up to get her. When the cat again starts a deep growling in her throat and lays the ears back on the head, he withdraws his hand and the growling stops.

A muttering grows from the crowd and James notices several of the bystanders exchanging coins, obviously some had bet he wouldn’t get the cat on that try.

“Just knock it down with a stick!” a bystander yells.

“No!” counters Inius. “Don’t hurt her.”

James turns and sees the innkeeper’s concern for Furball. “Don’t worry,” James assures him, “I’m certain that we can get her down without hurting her.”

Turning his attention once again back to the cat, he silently begins the casting of a spell. A spell of soothing, of trust, and when he is ready, he releases the power and slowly reaches up to Furball. This time she doesn’t start the growling, simply looks at him as he reaches up and gently takes hold of her around the middle. Lifting ever so gently, he removes her from the crossbeam.

He maintains the spell as he strokes Furball’s back and listens to the contented purr coming from her. As he hands Furball down to Inius, the crowd breaks into a cheer and more money changes hands.

“Yes,” he replies. “It’s a little metal disk attached to a leather collar around her neck with the sign of the Dancing Squirrel on it. So if she runs off again, people will know where to bring her back, or at the very least notify you as to where she was last seen.”

The remainder of their trek through Cardri is uneventful and pass through the outer gate without any further delays. Taking a side street through the outlying buildings in the general direction of the river, they find three buildings set together with a corral containing several horses and mules in the back.

Amused, James replies, “Never mind.” Securing their horse to the post, the two of them enter through the door to the front office which is currently unoccupied. Voices coming from out back lead them to two men standing near the corral, an older gentleman and a younger one.

“Going to need to procure another dozen by fall,” the elder one says.

“I agree father,” replies the younger and then notices James and Miko emerging from the office. “What can we do for you?” he asks. The older man turns to face the visitors.

“We have many fine horses available and for friends of Miss Gilena we will make sure you get the best we have. Follow me,” he says as he goes over to the corral gate and opens it, allowing James and Miko to enter first.

Closing the gate, he says, “We have a mare here,” he says as he comes to a chestnut colored horse, “she’s three years old and in good physical shape. Very gentle,” he stresses, “not one easily spooked.”

James looks at Miko who doesn’t seem to be too impressed by the mare. He’s got his eyes on a black stallion with eyes that seem to dare anyone to come within striking distance so he could bash in their skull.

“I think the mare will be fine,” James says to Miko’s disappointment. “Look,” James says to him, “that stallion would most likely kill you as not.”

As if the stallion understood what was being said, it stomps its foot and snorts.

Miko still looks longingly at the stallion, but realizes he has no choice in the decision. After all, a horse is a horse.

“Would you be interested in a pack mule as well?” Lufer asks. “If you plan on a long trip, your horses will do better without a lot of extra weight. A pack mule can carry much and they are very tough.”

“With the war going on over in Madoc,” he explains, “there has been an increase in the demand for horses, especially from the Horsemaster up at the Castle. He’s been procuring many in anticipation of war with the Empire.”

“Oh,” says Miko, “that sort of makes sense.”

“Yeah, supply and demand,” James reasons. Then he launches into the haggling for the actual price of the horse and mule. He doesn’t enjoy the process but does seem to be getting the hang of it. He works the price down to eighty golds for both and they go into the office where he counts out the money. Luckily the price also includes a saddle and all the required tack for the horse and mule.

He also buys several days worth of grain and two ponchos for inclement weather. Lufer suggests hoods for the horses so in emergencies they can keep them calm. James agrees and adds three of those to the bill. Once their bags have been repacked onto the mule, they mount up and head out, saying goodbye to Lufer and his son. James has the lead rope for the mule tied to the rear of his saddle where a loop has been attached for just that sort of thing.

Miko is in high spirits, sitting tall in the saddle on his very own horse even if it is a mare. James goes over the various commands with him that he’ll need to use in order to guide the horse. It doesn’t take too long before he has the basics down and is able to control the horse adequately.

Following directions Perrilin had provided, they take the road east out of Cardri, hoping to make Trademeet and the Merchant’s Pass in a little under a week. The day is young and the heat of the summer sun is just beginning to warm the air.

Still being within sight of the city, there are many other travelers on the road, including some caravans that they soon overtake and pass. They make good time and it’s not long before they have left most of the other travelers behind. Once Cardri completely disappears behind them, foot traffic has dwindled to almost nothing.

According to Perrilin, the first main city won’t be for two days, at a crossroads where another main trading route intersects theirs on its way north. The city is called Willimet and they will need to replenish their provisions, especially grain for the animals, before continuing on.

About the time the sun is high overhead, the road makes its way past a small grove of trees several hundred feet off the road. Within the grove they spot a pool of water. They decide to allow the animals time to graze while they partake of the noon meal. Also, the leafy boughs of the trees afford them some shade from the sun and the water is still cool and appears clean.

James dismounts first and lets his horse free to graze by the pond. He watches as Miko slowly dismounts, amused by the stiffness that is already showing in his movements.

Seeing James grinning he asks, “What’s so funny?” as he stiffly walks over to where James is removing the bag containing their lunch from the pack mule.

“Are you sore?” he asks with mock concern. He hands Miko his share of the sack before taking his own.

“You know I am,” he says accusingly as he takes his food. “And it’s not funny.” He sits down and begins to eat.

“I know,” James agrees sympathetically. “I went through the same thing when I first started to ride. In fact, I still get sore, just not as bad.”

“Glad to know it gets better,” Miko says.

“Oh it’ll get worse before it gets better,” James informs him. “It’s just something that will take time for your muscles to grow accustomed to.”

While they eat, they watch as a caravan travels west on its way toward Cardri. James counts twenty seven wagons and an accompaniment of twenty horsemen. They seem to be far enough away from Cardri that the only traffic on the road are the caravans and the occasional rider. All the foot traffic has long since disappeared.

Relaxing against the trunk of a tree, James revels in the peace and tranquility of the area. A gentle breeze, just strong enough to cool yet doesn’t stir up the dust, gently flows through the trees. A full hour they spend in the cool shade until he can no longer put off returning to the road. Repacking the food, he returns it to the pack mule.

He then remounts and watches with some sympathy as Miko slowly and stiffly climbs back into the saddle, remembering his own sore posterior when he had first learned to ride. They make their way back over to the road and turn their horses east toward Willimet.

An hour later the road has become all but devoid of fellow travelers. During one such lonely stretch, Miko notices a solitary rider pacing them several hundred yards off the road to the north. “James,” he says as he brings his horse alongside James’, “there’s someone to the north, pacing us.”

“I know,” he replies. “He’s been there for the last ten minutes.”

“What are we going to do?” asks Miko nervously as he once again glances toward the rider.

“Not much we can do. Fortunately we are in open territory so if any more show up we will have warning. Besides, we don’t even know if he has any interest in us at all. It could be just a coincidence that he is pacing us.”

“You don’t really believe that do you?” asks Miko.

“No,” replies James, “but it is a possibility. Until we know for sure, we will continue toward Willimet and deal with it should something happen.”

“Like an ambush,” he says. “This could be another attempt by Lord Colerain to capture or kill us. But who knows, it may simply be bandits or highwaymen seeing two lone riders and thinking to score some quick booty.”

Nervous, Miko begins scanning the horizon in all direction. “James! Behind us!” Miko exclaims excitedly when he glances to the road behind them.

James turns and sees three more riders approaching at a gallop. Looking toward the ones to the north, he sees them begin turning their way as they too break into a gallop. “Let’s go,” he says. Kicking the sides of his horse he’s quickly racing across the road at a fast gallop, Miko doing the same a split second after.

They race down the road trying to outdistance their pursuers when from out of the distance ahead, three more riders appear racing toward them from the east. South being the only direction currently free of riders trying to intercept them, he turns his horse in that direction and they leave the road, racing through the tall grass. James hopes fervently that neither horse puts a hoof in a gopher hole or something, which would prove disastrous.

As if on cue, two more riders appear in the distance to the south before they have gone more than twenty feet from the road. Realizing they are surrounded and unlikely to escape the trap, he scans the area for somewhere to make their stand. Seeing a small hill to the southwest an idea comes to mind and he turns his horse, racing for it. Upon reaching the hill he dismounts quickly, giving Miko his horse’s reins. “Get those hoods we got at Lufer’s and cover their heads, fast,” he tells him. “Whatever you do, don’t let go of their reins.”

“What are you going to do?” Miko asks as he begins pulling the hoods out of the packs.

“You’ll see. No time to explain, just stay close to me.” James looks around at the approaching horsemen. Their approach has slowed now that James and Miko have stopped atop the little hill. Those closer to the pair slow in order to allow those further away to be able to join with the closer ones in completely encircling the hill. Three of them have crossbows and are in the process of winding back the crossarm.

Scared, Miko watches as the men continue to tighten the noose. Holding tight to the reins, he keeps the now hooded horses and mule close to the top of the hill. He looks toward James and sees that his eyes are closed in concentration. The breeze that had been blowing gently begins to slowly increase in strength. Clouds move unnaturally fast as they rush toward them from every direction.

The approaching men continue tightening the circle. One of the crossbowmen looses a bolt but the wind blows it wide. They advance without seeming to care, or perhaps fail to notice what is going on in the sky above them. The gathering clouds begin smoothing out until the cloud cover looks like one big, dark blanket extending in all directions. Then all at once the wind suddenly stops and the world becomes ominously quiet.