The High-Wizard's Hunt

Chapter 17

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Looming Darkness

“Sit down here. I need to contact Toby.” Osric helped Kenneth to a chair, and watched out the window for any sign of troops. It was important to let the Vigiles know what was about to happen, but the whole plan would fall apart if he were spotted by the wrong eyes.

“See if you can send down an attractive wench from the pub with food. The service at the last tavern was horrible.”

“I am afraid that nobody will be bringing us food at my home. We need to find somewhere safe, but we can’t just start appearing in people’s homes.” Osric pulled two hooded cloaks out of a chest and handed one to Kenneth. “Luckily, there’s a nasty snowstorm raging right now, and it will give us cover. We can’t be seen leaving this place.”

“And here I was hoping for a nice stroll down the street. I don’t think I can wait too much longer. I feel like I’ve been chained to a wall for three days, and I could use some fresh air.”

“Let me find out where Toby is. I’ll take us there if it’s safe.” Osric rolled his eyes at Kenneth’s sarcastic coping tactics and took out his wand. “Toby, are you alone?”

“It’s about time you showed up.” Toby’s ghostly image appeared. “I was afraid they got you this time.”

“You have no idea how close it was,” Osric answered. “Will you have a chance to speak in person, soon?”

“I am not alone,” Osric felt a moment’s uncertainty, “but these men can be trusted,” Toby answered. “Gordyn, Dru and Macgowan have been meeting with me each night to discuss the situation the Union has placed us in. Can you and Kenneth join us at the Vigile barracks? The whole building has been abandoned since the Vigiles, well, you know.”

“We can be there in a few minutes, but Kenneth is pretty banged up. Any chance you could have a healer ready when we arrive?”

“I am not sure that would be wise. They are watching us pretty closely these days. But I’ve been in several altercations through the years, so I might be able to help out a bit. If it’s beyond my abilities, I will find someone discreetly.”

“Thanks, we will be there soon.” Osric lowered his wand and the image dissipated. He turned to the window and checked the streets again. There were two Kallegian soldiers patrolling the roads outside his house and two more at the end of the street. That meant their rotation was a short one. Osric feared they must have more soldiers than his cursory survey from the forest’s edge had hinted at.

“Are you taking us to a nice warm inn filled with mead and lovely wenches?” Kenneth grinned as he attempted to stand.

“No, I’m afraid Jane would have my head for putting you in the hands of a pretty wench. You are going to have to content yourself with stale bread and the healing touch of calloused hands.” Osric helped him to his feet and prepared himself to travel.

“I am sure she would be lenient after the three days we’ve had. She wouldn’t want me to have to settle for bread.”

Osric smiled at Kenneth’s protest, grabbed the pack off of the table, and heaved Kenneth to his feet as he spoke the spell. The familiar lurch of the incantation pulled slightly with the weight of Kenneth on his left side. In spite of the disorienting drag, they arrived safely in the front corridor of the recruit barracks.

Osric had neglected to ask which room to meet them in, so he activated the Wand-Maker gift hoping he would find a hint in the light from their gifts. Nothing he could see indicated life beyond the stone walls, but he was surprised by the number of visible wards and spells built into the structure. Hoping someone would find them as they approached, Osric headed toward the central hall. Hints of whispers came from a hall to his left, so he veered off into the dark corridor. Osric knew why they had not lit a lamp; they were meeting in secret, and he grimaced at the implications that the threat from the Kallegian must be real.

The voices grew louder as they approached the midway point of the corridor. Osric peered into a doorway emitting a quiet conversation and saw the man he was looking for.

“Osric, it’s good to see you my friend.” Toby rose to his feet at the sight of the new arrivals. “Looks like they have gotten the better of you in this exchange, but we have had better luck here.” Two other men sat in the shadows of the room, leaning forward and talking in hushed tones.

“Kenneth got it worse than I did.” Osric supported Kenneth’s weight as they stepped into the room. Macgowan noticed the extent of his injuries and hoisted Kenneth onto the desk with little effort.

“If I had known they would be so heavy handed, I would have suggested you come along.” Kenneth looked up at the muscular man who had lifted him in the air so easily. “They would have thought twice before trying to take us if you had been there.”

Macgowan stepped back silently so that Toby could perform a cursory inspection of Kenneth’s wounds. Macgowan’s face was rigid, and his eyes gleamed with a focused rage that gave Osric pause. Whatever had transpired in their absence had changed Macgowan. It seemed his mourning had passed and his countenance was filled with a determined purpose.

“You wouldn’t be in such bad shape if you didn’t insist on taking on the world for me,” Osric replied. “You’re gonna get yourself killed trying to protect me.”

“Well, my Jane would not have thought it too brave of me to let you get hit and mar your pretty face.” Kenneth forced a weak smile as Toby cauterized a wound in his side with a brand he pulled out of the small fire. “Besides, she and I have a wager on how long you and Bridgett will take before you stop worrying about the world and give in to your hearts.” He looked up at Osric and grinned at the look of surprise on his face. “Well, at least that is what she says.”

Osric was not sure how to respond to the statement in the presence of the men who had only known him for his work with the Vigiles. Toby worked away on Kenneth’s wounds, seeming to ignore the conversation entirely, but Macgowan had held his gaze from the moment the words left Kenneth’s mouth. Osric felt his face warm with the embarrassment of the moment, and he noticed the fire light reflecting in Macgowan’s eyes; they were moist. No tears fell from the hard gaze, but there was a hint of the tenderness he had shown to his wife a few short months ago. Osric broke the stare and changed the subject as quickly as he could.

“So, what has been happening here?” he inquired to whoever would answer.

“The damned Union has been happenin’,” Gordyn answered. “They have enforced a curfew, kept the former Vigiles from helping those who still mourn down by the Palace, and they seem to have come prepared to build!”

“Build?”

“Yes, they have nearly doubled the size of the palace keep, and last night they started putting Vigile personnel in the dungeon. If a few of Stanton’s concerned citizens had not informed us, we may have all ended up in a cell,” Toby said, keeping his attention on Kenneth’s wounds as he applied a salve. “And they seem intent on stopping any investigation into the attack at the palace. They say they have the culprit in hand, but nobody has seen them leave with anyone in custody. Nor has anyone joined the Vigiles in the dungeon on charges of participating in the attack. If you ask me, they are here to make sure we don’t discover anything and maybe see half of us put in the ground from starvation.”

“We managed to discover who is behind all of this, but I think you may have a hard time believing it,” Osric answered as he sat down on a stool next to the desk. “I know I have a hard time believing it.”

“Irua, weasels?” Gordyn inquired with a sardonic smile.

“You didn’t believe that either?”

“I believe that story about as much as I believe in the Paun,” Gordyn laughed. “I suspect the Turgent is behind all of this.”

“Make sure you watch who you say that around.” Toby frowned at Gordyn. “Here you are among those you can trust, but I don’t want to have to send Macgowan to save your ass again if those words reach the wrong ears.”

All eyes turned to Gordyn, but Osric and Kenneth’s expressions portrayed confusion.

“Do tell.” Kenneth smiled at the serious tone in the room.

“That can wait.” Toby turned back. “Right now we need to know who is behind this.”

“Well,” Kenneth looked at Gordyn, “you are in for two surprises. The first is that the Paun do exist, and Osric cut the head off of one before it could kill us. I will let you wait to hear the next.”

“Wait, what?” The shocked faces of the other three men echoed the statement.

Osric peered back nervously trying to avoid the sudden attention. “We need to focus, men.” Osric hardened his gaze to bring the conversation around. “It appears as though the Turgent is under the influence of another man. I am not sure how he managed to do it, but Konsult Dredek is the one making the decisions in Rowain.”

“That skinny, murdering rat of a man that fled in such a hurry?” Gordyn stepped forward.

“Yes, but that’s not all.” Osric prepared himself for the objections he knew would come with his next statement. “We need to contact all of the Vigiles and flee Stanton. The Kallegian have been ordered to eliminate all of us.”

“The Vigile don’t flee. They are going to have a surprise in store for them when they arrive!”

“No, Toby. We need to get out while we can. We can come up with a plan and come back later.” Osric pointed a finger at him, but he could sense that the argument was not over.

“Have you seen our people? Every man, woman, and child in Stanton is broken.” Toby raised his voice above a whisper for the first time as he hammered his fist on the table. “Their hearts have been ripped out of their bodies and it was your leadership that brought them hope. Your men have been working to bring them food and shelter since you left, and they won’t leave these people now!”

“After these last few weeks, I don’t think our people will stand by and watch the Union try to take us out,” Gordyn said.

“Look, I don’t want to get people killed. We need to get out and come up with a plan,” Osric pleaded with the men.

“I have news for you. We are at war,” Toby placed a hand on Osric’s shoulder. “Whether we go to war with the irua, or we fight for our lives here, it’s still war. I would rather be fighting for the right reasons.”

“Me too.” Gordyn smiled.

“And I,” Macgowan spoke in his low rumbling tone.

“I’d do what he says. Do you see the size of that man’s hands?” Kenneth broke the moment’s uncomfortable silence with a joke.

Osric’s eyes glazed over as his mind raced. He could not imagine a way to convince them to leave Stanton. He had no idea what to do after they had disarmed his entire argument. Uncertainty began to cloud his mind as, even deep within the barracks, the chill of the new snowfall pierced through the heat of the flames in the hearth.

“You still have the dragons and eagles on your side. We may stand a chance if we all join forces.” Kenneth sat up and turned slowly on a pivot.

“I cannot ask the dragons to fight for us after all we have done to them, and the eagles have no reason to help us either. I think we are on our own in this,” Osric said stoically.

“Then we will do it on our own. There are hundreds of people in this town, including the Vigiles, that have been waiting for a reason to fight and someone to lead them. We can communicate with them without the Kallegians knowing, if we are careful.” Toby’s voice was filled with conviction.

“And who better than the High-Wizard to lead them?” Bridgett’s voice startled Osric, and he spun around to see her standing in the doorway, accompanied by Eublin and Gus, with Pebble on her shoulder. She walked straight to him, reaching up and tenderly touching the cuts and bruises on his face. He couldn’t tear his gaze from her eyes, and Macgowan smiled sweetly, the suspended tear finally streaking down his cheek.