The Sorcerer's Oath Collection

Chapter 18

The next morning, the darkness lingered and Tarkyn could hear heavy rain pounding on the roof of the shelter. When the rain finally ceased, he could see c****s of sunlight through tiny gaps in the shelter’s structure. But still no one came to see him. By mid-morning he was very hungry and becoming concerned at the unexplained change in routine. Eventually a gentle rustling heralded the arrival of Sparrow. However, she did not pull back the screening as usual but slithered in through the lower branches of it, clutching a small bag. Even before she stood up, she put her finger to her lips to signal silence. Quietly, she opened the bag and set out meat, bread and jam on a plate that she gave to Tarkyn with a flask of water. Then she sat down and watched him eat.

After a few minutes, the intensity of her gaze gave the prince pause. He looked at her, pointed to the food and then to her. Sparrow hesitated then shook her head. Tarkyn thought for a moment then pointed separately to the meat, bread and jam and put his hand on his heart and his head on an angle after each one. She smiled and nodded in response to the bread and jam but pulled her mouth down at the meat. So then Tarkyn awkwardly spread some jam on a piece of bread, using his one available hand, and held it out to her. Sparrow put her head on one side and screwed her face up in uncertainty but the prince nodded emphatically. So she accepted the bread and jam with a beaming smile.

Then, clear as a bell in Tarkyn’s mind, appeared the image of the water flask. He picked it up and offered it to Sparrow who accepted it with a casual smile of thanks. Tarkyn was just congratulating himself on having picked up a mind picture when suddenly they heard the sounds of shouting and crashing through the undergrowth in the woods outside. The prince’s eyes widened in alarm, as he imagined woodfolk being hunted down and injured. Pictures of an intense sorcerer on horseback searching through the woods flowed into his mind. Tarkyn brought two fingers from his eyes to indicate looking, and then pointed to himself with his head on one side. The girl shrugged and pointed to him then put her head on one side and mimicked an animal running with her hand and shrugged again.

In answer to an unspoken query, Tarkyn received a picture from Waterstone high up in an oak tree, well-hidden and looking down on an unshielded sorcerer passing below. The prince recognised the sorcerer and even as he concluded that it must be the king’s Hunting Party, he sensed Waterstone’s eyes widen and lose focus, as he received the image.

Tarkyn was so distracted that he didn’t realise Sparrow was trying to get his attention. She came over and tapped him on the arm. Once he was looking, she put out her hand raising different numbers of fingers with a look of query on her face. The prince thought about a full hunting party and using her fingers, Sparrow checked with him that twenty was about right. He nodded and immediately sensed Waterstone passing the message on to other woodfolk in nearby trees.

Then, way below Waterstone, on the forest path, the king and his twin brother came into view. A jolt of fear, loss and rage blasted through Tarkyn and his mind went blank. In consternation, he saw Sparrow give a little whimper and crumple onto the floor. He threw himself out of bed, sending the food flying. In a panic, he placed his hand on her neck and felt for a pulse. Beneath his fingers he could feel her heart beating strongly but very slowly. He breathed a sigh of relief and hoisted himself down onto the floor to sit with his back against the bed. Then he gently lifted Sparrow’s head, put it on his lap and began to stroke her hair. He tried to project calm, soothing images but he could feel his mind blocking him. Gradually, by calming himself first and then focusing his will, he relaxed his mind barrier and was able to send waves of reassurance into the little girl’s mind.

After what seemed an eternity, Sparrow stirred. She stared up at the prince looking down at her in concern, and tears began to roll down her cheeks. She picked herself up and climbed onto his lap, snuggling her head against his good shoulder so that he could wrap his arm around her. Then she quietly sobbed her heart out. Tarkyn held her, stroking her arm and whispering softly in her ear until her sobs subsided and she gradually fell asleep.

Not too much later, sounds of shouting drew closer. Tarkyn hugged Sparrow closer to him and with an awkward flick of his hand, threw a shield up around them. He could hear the wind picking up outside, throwing leaves and small branches spattering against the outside of the shelter. The shouting resolved itself into the voice of Waterstone yelling, “Her mind link stopped. Where is he? I’ll kill the bastard if he’s hurt a hair on her head,” followed by a crackling voice saying, “Calm down. Let’s just see if she’s safe first,” and another voice rumbling, “You can’t. You have to think of the forest.”

The screening was thrown aside and Waterstone, blood running from a gash in the side of his face, stormed in flanked by the two woodfolk who were trying to calm him down and restrain him. He threw them off and seeing his daughter, pale and still, in Tarkyn’s arms, rushed at the prince.

“I’ll kill you, you bastard,” he shouted. Outside, the wind roared through the trees and they could hear branches cracking and crashing down. Not far away, a ponderous series of crashes signalled the death of some large tree as it fell victim to the howling gale.

The sorcerer expanded the shield to keep Waterstone at bay. The woodman hit the barrier and became, if possible, even more angry.

“How dare you keep me from my daughter?” he raged.

Tarkyn sent a look of appeal to the other two woodfolk but Waterstone threw off all attempts to contain him.

“Waterstone. Waterstone,” said Tarkyn urgently, “She’s all right. She’s not dead. She’s sleeping,” but the woodman was ranting so much, he didn’t even register that the prince was speaking.

With a mute apology, the sorcerer, in quick progression, dropped the shield then incanted, “Shturrum.” The three woodfolk froze.

“I’m sorry, Waterstone, and you others. I don’t want to use strong-arm tactics but Waterstone, you must listen; Sparrow is all right. She’s sleeping – Do you understand? It’s taken a long time to get her to sleep and I was hoping not to disturb her. It is your choice, of course. But if you’re going to beat me up, do it somewhere away from Sparrow.” The prince smiled wryly at the other two. “And don’t worry about your forests. As long as he doesn’t actually kill me, he has my permission to do to me what he needs to.”

As soon as he said this, the wind outside dropped and an uneasy silence settled on the forest. The sorcerer waved his hand again, removing the paralysis spell but not re-instating the shield. He braced himself for Waterstone’s next move but the woodman now had himself in check.

“Give me my daughter,” he demanded flatly.

“Here.” Tarkyn gently shrugged his shoulder to push Sparrow forward towards her father but the movement woke her.

The little girl opened her eyes sleepily and smiled at her father, “Hello dad. Tarkyn’s been minding me.” She started to nod off but murmured, just before she went back to sleep, “Actually, we’ve been minding each other.”

Tarkyn and Waterstone were left staring at each other across the sleeping form of the woodman’s daughter.

“I’ll speak to you later,” said Waterstone shortly and walked out bearing Sparrow.

The prince looked at the other two woodfolk.

“Have the huntsmen gone?” he asked urbanely to cover the awkward moment.

“They’ve been gone for an hour or more,” rumbled one of them.

“Just as well, with Waterstone shouting like that.” The prince frowned. “I thought woodfolk weren’t supposed to shout.”

The woodmen exchanged glances. “We don’t, in the normal course of events.”

The prince smiled disarmingly at them. “Would you mind telling me your names again? I have become confused.” He hazarded a guess. “Are you Thunder Storm?” He received a nod. “And you?”

“Autumn Leaves.”

“I thought you were, but I wasn’t sure.”

Tarkyn flexed his shoulder and asked, “Could you two help me back into bed? I’ve been sitting in the same position for a couple of hours. It is not that I minded holding Sparrow, but my arm and shoulder were screaming by the end of it.”

Once he was settled back in bed, Tarkyn asked, “What happened to Waterstone’s face?”

The two woodfolk looked at each other again, then Autumn Leaves shrugged, “We’re not sure. Just as the king and his brother were riding underneath, Waterstone’s eyes went wide and he lost his balance and nearly fell out of the tree. Luckily Thunder Storm was near enough to grab him but he swung in against the trunk of the tree and gashed his cheek. After that, all he wanted to do was get back here but we couldn’t move until the hunting party had left the area.”

The prince ran his hand through his hair. “Poor Waterstone. No wonder he’d worked himself up into such a frenzy.”

“My lord,” rumbled Thunder Storm, “It is important that Waterstone is made to realise that he must control himself. He endangered the forest with his behaviour towards you.”

The prince raised his eyes brows superciliously. “He has indeed, but that will be the last time you pass judgement on my actions. Perhaps you have forgotten that I, too, have sworn to protect the forests. I will deal with Waterstone as I see fit. The mindblast that hit Waterstone was a fraction of what hit his daughter, and I was its source. He was frightened for his daughter. He had every right to be angry with me, even though he must have known it was unintentional.”

“But my lord…,”

“But what?” asked the prince icily. “Do you expect a man to stand by and accept his daughter being hurt?”

“Perhaps not.” rumbled Thunder Storm stiffly.

“Do you have a daughter, Thunder Storm?”

“I have two sons, my lord, five and seven years old.”

“And how would you feel if I or someone else injured one of your sons?”

“I would be upset, of course, but I would like to think that I would maintain a sense of proportion and put the welfare of all woodfolk before my own concerns.”

“It has obviously not happened to you yet,” observed the prince tartly. “We would all like to think that we could act rationally in times of stress, Thunder Storm, but we often don’t.”

“But, my lord,” insisted Thunder Storm, “how could you give him permission to assault you?”

The prince looked at him steadily for a few moments, deciding whether to answer. Finally, he said, “Once Waterstone knew his daughter was safe, he was never going to attack me. I gave him permission, both to appease the sorcery of the oath and to give Waterstone an even playing field.” The prince shrugged and smiled wryly. “If he does come back seeking vengeance, I will just have to accept it.”

“I think that’s very generous of you, Your Highness. I would almost say courageous, given you have your arm in a sling. But I gather, since you won that Harvester tournament, that you must be a skilled fighter.”

Tarkyn narrowed his eyes, finding Thunder Storm’s remarks sycophantic. “Thank you. And now I think I need to rest.” Mostly from you, Tarkyn added to himself.

It was several hours before Waterstone reappeared. He eyed the prince and sat down next to him. His face was pale and there were signs of strain around his eyes.

“How is Sparrow?” asked Tarkyn with some restraint.

“She is well,” replied Waterstone shortly.

Silence ensued. Waterstone cleared his throat a couple of times but said nothing. Then they spoke simultaneously.

“Waterstone…”

“Your Highness…”

Tarkyn nodded to the woodman. “You first.”

Waterstone cleared his throat again. “Autumn Leaves told me that you defended me against Thunder Storm.”

“Thunder Storm is a sanctimonious, old bore. He questioned my judgement and I was not pleased.”

Waterstone glanced at the prince, taking in this disdainful side of him. After a moment, he asked, “How would you react if I questioned your judgement?”

The prince raised his eyebrows. “You are not a prosy old bore. So I would listen.” He shrugged, coming down off his high horse. “I mightn’t agree with you, but I would listen. And in fairness, I did listen to Thunder Storm. I just didn’t like the way he spoke. He did have a point though. You did endanger the forests and your people.”

Suddenly, Waterstone’s eyes glistened with tears. “I know I did. You should see the damage out there. At least one grand old oak tree has fallen and many trees have been damaged. Birds’ nests on the ground….” Waterstone cleared his throat again. “And although you stood up for me, I actually think my behaviour was reprehensible, regardless of the oath.”

“Do you?” The prince’s amber eyes considered him, giving him time to squirm. “I suppose it depends on how you look at it. From the point of view of court etiquette, it was almost a hanging offence. In fact, in my brother’s court, I doubt that I could have saved you.” He paused to let this sink in. “From the point of view of a father protecting his daughter, it was perhaps a little aggressive but understandable – and at least you haven’t hit me yet.” Suddenly, Tarkyn twinkled at the woodman. “But the offer still stands.” Before the woodman could respond, he became serious again, “To be honest, I feel I almost deserve it. I’m afraid my reaction to seeing my brothers sent a huge jolt of emotion through the mind link and Sparrow caught the worst of it.” The prince ran his hand through his long black hair. “Waterstone, you have no idea! I was so frightened that I might have killed her. She just collapsed. Then when she opened her eyes and looked up at me, she started crying. I held her and did the best I could, one-handed, but it was ages before she went to sleep. I am so sorry, Waterstone. I would never do anything to hurt her intentionally.”

The woodman waved his hand dismissively. “I know. Of course you wouldn’t. I knew at the time.”

“But you were crazy with fear for Sparrow.”

Waterstone nodded shortly.

The sorcerer gave the woodman a little smile. “I’m sorry about the spells. I do not generally resort to magic to impose my will, but I couldn’t make you listen and the forest was suffering.”

Waterstone glanced at him then looked away. “Hmph. I didn’t leave you much choice. Anyway, it’s a great leveller to be reminded from time to time how powerful you are.”

The sorcerer grimaced. “Actually, I think we both need to know more about each other’s magic. For a start, had you people understood my magic better, I wouldn’t be carrying so many injuries and had I had time to learn about your mind linking properly, I may not have endangered Sparrow as I did.”

Tarkyn saw Waterstone hesitate and added quickly, “Not today but soon. Tonight you need to go home to Sparrow.”