Shin picked through the bodies in the cave they had come through and scowled every time he turned one over. The skeletons were burned to a crisp but they were a bright white instead of a blackened char. The results of being consumed by holy flame. It also meant that he couldn’t use these bones no matter how badly he wanted to.
The entirety of the cave had been scorched by the flames but similar to the skeleton there was no evidence of the damage. The bodies were overlapped and the clothes singed away. The only thing left behind were their weapons and a few shields. Crouching he picked one up and glanced at the edge.
It caught what little light was possible and the sheen was good. The blade was sharp and curved slightly like many scimitars. Turning it slowly he felt how light it was and was impressed. This was a good one but it wasn’t the silver one that damn near ruined his experiment.
He thought back to Isaac’s need to fight and help and he knew a weapon would be good for him. Reaching down he found a sheathe that wasn’t entirely ruined by the flames and slid the sword back into it. Gripping it along with his shovel he walked back outside and glanced at the sky.
It was lightening up slowly and he could track where the sun was going to rise from. Returning to the cave and feeling the warm glow of it welcoming him back. Magic was strange like that, it always welcomed the one who cast the spell like a loyal companion and in many ways, it was hostile to strangers.
Walking to Isaac he checked on the status of the crystal and the scratch was noticeably smaller but it was still visible. Moving he grabbed one of Isaac’s hands and lifted it slightly checking the burns. Despite those being caused by the prayer those were healing over slowly. Why that was happening he had no idea. They should have been permanent burns.
“Maybe there is some truth to their words that their God didn’t entirely abandon you for what had happened,” he mumbled to himself then scoffed at the thought.
The progress was going good though he was fine with that much. Setting the sword against the wall he walked back outside and checked the sky. Glancing toward the horizon he frowned hard. There was a cloud of dust oncoming toward them. Planting his shovel into the ground he held one hand out in front of him and drew slowly on the air.
Creating an opaque lens of purple, he dragged a finger against it creating a few more runes onto it and then pressed a flat hand to it. It glowed then turned translucent except every image was suddenly ten times bigger and closer. Using the telescopic disc, he stared at the dust cloud.
One rider was wearing the mix matched skins and leather armor like the bandits that they had already finished off but beside him were at least a dozen men and another in the lead wearing dull red armor. The one in front had a black horse, a tail to his helmet and even this far away he felt the stern hatred in his gaze.
“The Norians. Those damn bandits sent a scout to find them overnight. Shit!” Collapsing the glass he stepped backwards and ran back to the cave. As he got closer he could see the illumination of the magic even from there. Which meant that if any of them got too close they’d interrupt the healing ritual or worse.
Swearing up and down he returned to the cave and double checked on the ritual but nothing had changed with it. It was still healing at its own speed and there was no time to start trying to rush the process. Putting the shovel against the wall he took his bone pouches as well and tied them around the tool.
Pressing his hands against the ground, he created another circle against the ground. Scratching his finger into the dirt he slowly inscribed a short message while grumbling to himself. “This is going to be difficult but I’ll be damned if I let Norians take my shovel.” Glancing back at Isaac again he scowled. “Putting my life in the hands of a fool.”
Stalking back outside the dust cloud had gotten closer and Shin started going over his options. There weren’t any zombies for him to use to start an open battle. So he’d have to resort to tricks and other methods. Walking back into the cave that the bandits had been burned in and he chanted a few times and touched an unscorched part of the wall.
The patch of wall glowed for a second before fading to just a small symbol there. Waving his hand over it, it flashed as did his hand. That would take care of any that went into the cave. Leaving he walked to another cave just barely adjacent and placed his hand against the wall. Not nearly as deep as the other but the way that the sun was coming up the shadows would keep him covered at the very least.
While he waited, Shin thought about what he was doing here. He was hiding and creating a trap for Norians that were likely to find and capture Isaac, an experiment that he had started not twenty-four hours ago. Sure, doing the experiment had cost him a lot of time and resources. He didn’t have another crystal like that but he was putting a lot on the line for this. All of his eggs were in this one basket but he could start over. He had time.
But he could hear the soldier’s optimism in his voice and it made him chuckle. No one like that existed in Noria. His old teacher would have called him a fool but then again he called Shin a fool as well. A fool for trying to learn necromancy, of trying to attain immortality. “I’m being a fool for trusting him this way. But maybe being a fool is better than falling her footsteps.”
It took them less than an hour for them to finally arrive in a huff of smoke and noise. Though he couldn’t see outside the cave he heard the horses slowing down and the grunts from the soldiers.
“Where are the captives?” the gruff Norian voice said and he recognized a captain’s air of confidence.
“In the cave there. Don’t know where those other idiots are. Probably asleep.”
“Sleeping? With captive soldiers?” One of the Norian soldiers asked and snorted. “They’ve probably snuck away then.”
“Or you lied and tried to get a quick sack of gold.”
“Hey! I may be a liar but I know who I should be lying too. They’re in there.”
“Then retrieve them. And be quick. I don’t like having my time wasted.” The words were straight forward but the threat was guaranteed.
“Yeah. Right,” the bandit said trying and failing to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Shin heard his feet hit the ground and walked into the cave itself. Shin waited within his cave listening his palm glowing slightly. “What the fuck is this!”
Without waiting for him to say more he pulled the trigger. The ground rocked from the force of the explosion followed by the roar of stone as the roof began to collapse. The noise was deafening but he resisted the urge to cover his ears and possible expose himself.
The moment he triggered the trap he felt a tingle in the back of his mind. It was like being prodded with a pin. He couldn’t focus on it though because all of the horses shouted and reared back tossing some of the soldiers from the saddle. “What was that?”
“It was a trap!” one of the soldiers said.
“This was the work of a mage,” the Captain said and Shin swore under his breath. Of course, he’d know the sign. “Find him! He can’t be far!”
If they started searching the caves they’d find Isaac and that would be worse. Digging his hand into the ground he found a few rocks and whispered quickly as magic laced across the them rapidly. Waiting for a few seconds he took off his cloak and held the rocks in his other hand.
Stepping forward he threw the cloak out into the air startling many of the soldiers. Throwing one rock under the cloak he skid another one along the ground. Making a hand sign both exploded and sent men flying backwards and horses screaming. He darted forward and suddenly he stumbled to the ground.
His limbs felt heavy and his teeth grit together. Struggling to move his hands he turned his head and saw the mage. They had their hands in the air and mouth mumbling slowly. Shin’s eye glowed and he saw the bonds on his arms and legs that tried to chain him to the ground. Speaking quickly he shut one eye and the bonds shattered one by one.
Once the last one was gone he got to his feet he bit one finger and got another stone. Whispering magic, he traced the blood across the rock and flung it at the mages head. The mage tried to stop the rock and Shin closed his hand. The rock exploded and took the mage’s head off with it.
With that done he realized any other action was going to be a waste. He was surrounded on all sides by soldiers with drawn swords. The captain walked forward his helmet knocked off his head but his features were thick and his glare was all for him. Shin faced him and flexed his fingers.
Calculating this in his head he knew that the mage was a novice at best. He would only slow him down. All he had to do was fight them off and get to one of these soldiers. One zombie was all he needed to really have a chance at this. “I should have you killed.”
“It’s the Norian way,” Shin replied. “Show your strength to any who stand before you.”
The man looked at the cave and the destruction around them. “You’ve certainly done that here. Why reveal yourself?”
“Those bandits caused me trouble. I wanted to finish off what I started.”
“Also the Norian way,” he replied and looked toward the dead mage on the ground. “You killed our mage.”
“I don’t like when upstarts try me.”
The captain nodded slowly and chuckled. Walking forward Shin could hear the clinking of his armor and felt the breeze behind him. When he was close enough the captain punched him hard in the stomach and then in the face. Shin took both blows because he knew better than to try and fight back.
Grabbing Shin by the head, the captain stared down at him with that same glare. “You’ve got spirit, mage. We came here with the notion of retrieving Sanctum soldiers. Instead we find you. I believe you can take their place. We’re also looking to recruit new mages. Especially after you killed our last one.”
Shin grit his teeth together and stood pressing his hand against the captain’s chest. He tried to place a rune on his armor but nothing happened. Shocked and glancing at his hand then the captain he was suddenly thrown into the ground the captain’s boot against his head.
“That won’t work against me mage. I’m no novice in dealing with your kind.” The captain, he pointed toward two of the soldiers. “Bind his hands. We’re going to make this one walk with us.”
The soldiers did as they were told bringing a pair of iron restraints. They clasped them around Shin’s arms keeping them in front of him. The moment the shackles locked around his wrist he grit his teeth suddenly feeling nauseous. It was like going blind or deaf, losing one of his senses entirely.
“Dampening shackles.” Shin growled.
“To keep your kind in check,” the captain said chuckling. Hands shaking in the bonds he glared at the captain and the captain stared back at him unflinching. “You are a Norian. I can hear it in your tone and see it in your eyes. Your talents are wasted out here in the middle of nothing. They can be better used serving the empire.”
“Looks like I don’t have much of a choice in the matter, do I?”
“No. You don’t.”
The captain walked away and took one of the horses that didn’t flee from the explosion. A soldier shoved Shin in the back forcing him to walk forward. Another grabbed his shackled hands and attached a chain to it. The soldier holding the chain mounted another horse. There were a few soldiers on either side of him, no longer having horses he was forced to walk.
“Come men. We can return to the camp before nightfall.”
With that he kicked off and started riding forward. The other riders took off with him and suddenly Shin was yanked forward by the chain as he had to do an awkward half run and to keep up. Glancing over his shoulder he swore.
He was really putting all his faith in Isaac hoping that his good nature would cause him to follow after these soldiers and save him. Then again if he had to, he could escape from any encampment that the Norians would put him through. He didn’t come this far just to become another soldier in a war that wasn’t his.
The Harlequin Library 