The Time Before

Trengin : Keeping up appearences

Chapter 15: Keeping up appearences

By the time the other two looked up from the letter I'd decided what I wanted to do. I knew they wouldn't be happy but hopefully they'd listen to my reasons. As Srune's eyes flitted upwards I went to speak before he could set himself on one idea.

"Can we risk..."

"Thank you Captain," Srune smoothly interrupted with a silencing flick of the eyes to me. "If you'll allow us some time to decide, I will endeavour to get our answer to you promptly."

The Captain eyed me shrewdly before looking to Srune and agreeing.

"Of course, take what time you need."

Without waiting for either Roah or I, Srune turned on his heels and walked out clutching the letter. I gave a nod to the Captain and followed Srune out into the night.

Already he was getting back on to his horse, held patiently by a soldier. I went to my own horse and mounted, turning to see him already trotting back to the wagons. With a shrug to Roah I followed in silence using the time to frame my thoughts more carefully. What was up with him?

Once we were seated, surrounded by books in the back of the wagon, Srune finally spoke.

"Gather what you think will be useful, we leave at dawn."

I raised an eyebrow, ready to counter immediately with my own plan, but Roah beat me too it.

"What do you mean we leave at dawn! What about the caravan? You intend for us to just abandon it at the first command from some General we've never met!"

"The bridge," he started in retaliation, but I jumped in to finish. "Could be useful, but isn't any more important than the caravan, and probably less. We know for certain that this wagon alone is invaluable with just the fraction of research we've done. Let alone the other wagons all overflowing with more."

His eyes spun from the nodding Roah and stared at me, frustration already creasing his brow.

"But, a fortified position, protected from magic! Don't you two see what that could mean!"

"We promised to protect the caravan until it was safe in Etonreh," Roah said. "Are we to break the Circle's promises to men every time something better comes along? I thought that was something we swore not to do."

I winced at the mention of the Circle. They surely considered me apart of that already, what other 'rules' had the pair of them concocted between themselves.

"We're only 3 days from Etonreh," Srune persisted, "we've given them protection this far, we can't anticipate another Sempa attack this close. Whereas Captain Hunt holed up in the Bridge is almost certainly going to draw their attention sooner or later."

Time to jump in.

"I agree," I said simply. Immediately Roah took on the frustrated stares whilst Srune looked surprised. "But 'the Circle' can't abandon its promise," I continued. "That is why I am going to Bridge alone - whilst - 'the Circle' continues to Etonreh."

Hands raised and protests rose with them, but I just stared at them until they stopped.

"I admit you are right that mages need to stand up to the Sempa, but I never said I'd joined the Circle."

Srune eyebrow lifted in sign of further protest but I ignored him.

"I'm not leaving something if I never joined even if you wanted me to believe I had." If there was a glimpse of guilt on either of their faces I didn't see it. "I intended to go to meet with Captain Hunt anyway, before you found me again that is. It makes sense for you two to see the job through to the end and continue research on all this whilst I have a quick scout around."

"And what if there's trouble at the Bridge?"

"Then one man can see and get back quicker than three," I countered. "You want this 'Circle' to succeed? Then what better opportunity to get involved by personally meeting this General Stone? With his help you can get teams of people working on that caravan, as well as Etonreh's library staff. Plus it's time you got recruiting if we're ever gonna seriously dent the Sempa's numbers or even defend Etonreh for more than a few minutes if it's attacked."

Reluctantly, inch by inch, Srune relented under my barrage of reason. I just wished I didn't already find myself wanting their company to the bridge. Despite what I'd heard of it I didn't see how it could hold against a significant Sempa attack. Mad as he must be, Captain Hunt was a man I wanted to meet, and the mage with him too.

With some final thoughts and planning we continued reading through books until dawn, desperate to find anything that might be of use to me. We found many more fascinating history accounts and journals, but no more mention of Alchien or the bridge. In the end we decided I should take the one book that Srune had found that mentioned the bridge but didn't think it was worth risking any more than that.

Despite the change of plan Srune still insisted with an immediate departure. We had already past the turning I'd need to follow to take me along the edge of the great forest and towards the bridge. Any further towards Etonreh would just take me further away. My pack was found, along with food, a blanket and the contents from my tent packed into saddlebags already strapped in place on my horse. Srune appeared with the bridge book, found again after being misplaced during our frantic last night of research.

"Don't take it any closer to the bridge than you have to." He handed me a black piece of cloth that caught the light slightly. "One of the soldiers found some oilwrap to keep it safe and dry even if you have to bury it."

I nodded and took the sleek material, hastily stuffing it in a saddlebag as I mounted my horse.

"Give my best to the Captain and I'll see you soon," I promised. "It'd also be nice to actually be able to call it a Circle without lying by the time I get back."

Srune grinned and we both laughed. Then, without anymore hesitation I turned the horse and made my way through the awakening camp. The road we'd just travelled stretched out before me and I turned the walk into a mile-eating canter as soon as I cleared the sentries.

-~-

After the comparable slow speed of the caravan I was surprised to find myself at the turning before the sun was much more than a fist higher than the horizon. My horse skidded slightly as I sawed the reins to pull her round the corner but she kept her feet and we continued at the same pace kicking up dust behind. There was still a long way to go.

There were very few people on the road, the forest historically home to brigands and cutpurses, and now all but considered Sempa territory. The occasional wagon rumbled by, but I barely noticed.

I'd gone no further than a couple of leagues before a larger cloud of dust ahead spoke of galloping horses. I slowed up, and watched the cloud advance quickly. A few minutes later I saw the half-a-dozen riders heading my way.

I was heading west, with the sun behind me, they wouldn't have seen any more than a silhouette yet so I reined in and studied them. The lead rider rode a few lengths ahead of the rest, a large red cloak trailing behind and the glint of some kind of armour. Behind him the others all had cloaks too, but of various hues. Unlikely they were soldiers then. Why were they in such a hurry?

Intuition gripped me and I was tracing the pattern of runes against my palm before I'd even realised it. I held the pattern in my mind and saw it coalesce as my magic flowed along, filling the runes with my power. With just seconds before the riders would be able to see me clearly I released the spell. The flow washed over me, and my image wavered slightly and became solid.

Without even the hint of a command the lead rider reined in and stopped just before me. Despite the lack of warning the rest of the riders reined in just as quickly and stopped behind him, large stallions pawing the ground impatiently. They all had hard faces, with several days beard growth and heavy eyelids. Despite that, every pair of eyes fixed on me with steady gazes that belied their weary appearance.

"Well met old man." The grin spoke of unexpected opportunity.

"Well met," I responded slowly.

"Dangerous roads to be travelling alone. Shouldn't you be tucked up in some bed with a fire, or a woman if you can still keep one." He snickered loudly and his men laughed with him.

I lifted a bony arm, sleeved in little more than rags, and gestured at the panting old nag I was riding.

"Me and ol'Bess here are just out for a walk. We have nothing of value to attract those that would harm us." Even my voice sounded old.

He seemed to suddenly see me again, blinking twice and staring at the gaunt horseflesh that I was slumped on with a grimace. Behind him I saw the others twitch and fidget nervously, fingering what were probably weapons under their cloaks. The lead rider sat up straighter, face blank as he unconsciously flicked his cloak behind a shoulder. I tensed for trouble.

"Find yourself that fire grandpa, some would kill you just for the sport," and with that he kicked his heels in and his horse leapt away. The other five flashed looks of regret but were quick to follow him.

I breathed a sigh of relief and walked on for a few moments until they were out of sight. With a flick of my hand the illusion vanished. My young horse danced on the spot, eager to be away again despite the morning of heavy running. I gave her free reign and she quickly sped up to a gallop for a few moments before slowing to a canter again. I didn't see anyone else that day.

~

"Found anything Srune?" The older mage had been flicking through pages and frowning for ten minutes over the leather-bound book. Roah, idly writing another title in the column neatly laid out on the paper in front of him, waited for an answer. He put the last book back down and had picked up the next before he got it.

"What? Oh found anything, well perhaps. I'm not sure."

After another exhausting day of cataloging this first wagon Roah resisted throwing a book at him.

"Well spit it out."

"It's from a journal of a mage called Ferum Wastomer, I'll read part of it to you."

"Five more dropped down today, fingers twitching again. If those damnable Sempa keep bombarding the wall-shield like that then we will lose more before this is over."

"It then says later..."

"I should be using this time to sleep, but I must record what is happening. All but one of us are needed to maintain the shield now. We have to take it in turns to have an hour's sleep before going back so someone else can rest. It won't be long before we lose more to the twitchings. Hretan thinks he knows what is happening to them but we can not let him stop to find out. We need everyone's strength to hold on. Help will surely arrive soon."

Roah listened intently. "The first emflikars perhaps? But what war, only one ever mentioned mages battling each other? It can't be...that...but that's only myth?"

Srune nodded. "Yes, the Dead War. A battle between both halves of the planet leaving the deadzone as a scar - result of the magics they flung at each other."

"But we are taught that it is a result of the planet's formation. A focus of the magic that forms this world causing the separation of the North from the South. Nothing mages could do could cause something that huge and permanent!"

Srune just nodded idly, already back to flicking pages. "Maybe," he replied absently.

~

With just an hour of sunlight left I was lucky to find a small village nestled with a copse of woodland about a mile from the road; chimney smoke alerting me to its presence.

The map that Roah had thrust into my hands before I left didn't show anything in this area for another thirty miles or so. I looked at the map again, but if there was a date when it was drawn it had rubbed off. The paper was still good, albeit well creased, but nothing suggested the map was more than a year old. Remembering the riders from earlier I decided to approach with care, and followed the road a bit further so I could scout the village from within the trees.

It was like any other village, squat huts in two rough lines lining the main path through. A much larger building stood at the end, with two stories and windows in the roof, most likely an inn. A soft bed suddenly seemed appealing after the last few nights reading in the wagon. A couple of farms were on the far side with some livestock. People were dotted about a small market that had been setup in a square in front of the inn, clearly taking advantage of every moment of daylight to do as much trading as possible. A large post was at the far end of the square, with something at the top but in the fading daylight I couldn't make out any details. The whole scene looked surprisingly peaceful given the times.

Had the Sempa missed this village? Maybe I should just make camp alone somewhere as originally planned. A light suddenly appeared in a window of the inn and the image of the bed flashed through my mind again as I yawned.