The Sorcerer's Oath - Books 3-4

Chapter 4-1

Prince Jarand’s column moved at a gentle trot along the road to the lake. As they entered the forest the road surface deteriorated, and they had to slow their horses to a walk. All around them, the forest watched and waited. Captain Harkell sent two soldiers to scout ahead. The birds fell silent as they passed and the sound of their horses’ hooves seemed unnaturally loud. It was not long before soldiers began to exchange furtive glances and to peer anxiously into the gloom between the trees. The trees on either side loomed over tangled bushes and it was hard to see more than a few yards into the woods. Even the little wizard, who was used to living in these woodlands, was unnerved.

After a while he kicked his horse and managed to raise a trot to bring himself up alongside the prince. Once he had reined in to a walk and had stopped bouncing around in the saddle, he addressed Jarand, “Your Highness. There is something amiss. The woodlands are unnaturally quiet.”

“I would agree, sire,” said Captain Harkell, trotting up to join them. “How many do we seek? Perhaps they are planning an ambush. Something is not right. Perhaps I should send a few more scouts up ahead.”

But already it was too late. Behind them, exclamations arose as some of the soldiers’ horses, unprompted by their riders, quickened their pace to draw alongside other soldiers’ horses. Before anyone understood what was happening, the column was crammed side by side in rows of six, taking up the full width of the road. A shield of aqua slammed down around the first four rows, bringing them to a heaving halt. Startled horses plunged and sidestepped into each other until their riders calmed them. Prince Jarand, the wizard and the Captain were left alone and unguarded out in front. Jarand immediately raised his dark red shield around the three of them. The remaining horsemen could not reach the front of the column to protect their prince other than to leave the road and thread their way between the trees. Any desire they had to do this was thwarted by the fact that their horses would not move.

Before they had time to dismount, Tarkyn appeared, walking calmly down the middle of the road towards them, surrounded by the bronze haze of his shield.

“Good afternoon, brother. Would you please tell your men, particularly those at the rear, that any attempt by them to leave the road will result in them being picked off one by one? I do not intend to hurt them or you, so heroic gestures will be quite pointless.”

Prince Jarand’s face suffused with rage but he knew an impasse when he saw one and nodded curtly to his captain. Tarkyn waited while the order was given for the men to remain where they were, before he continued, “And now, if you could ask one or both of your companions within your shield to raise their own shields, then that will free you up to accompany me without them. However, if neither of them can raise a steady shield, it matters little as I have no intention of harming them. You, naturally, will wish to maintain your own shield around yourself.”

“Your Highness, I must come with you,” protested the captain. “You can’t go alone into an enemy camp.”

Jarand raised his eyebrows and, receiving a slight shake of the head from Tarkyn in response, replied, “Captain Harkell, I think you have demonstrated your ineptitude sufficiently for me to dispense with your services. My shield will protect me.”

While Tarkyn waited for them to sort themselves out, he sent a query to Rainstorm to pass on to Danton checking that he was comfortable with maintaining his shield around so many. In return, he received an assurance that as long as the troops were stationary, it was no strain. He refocused to find Jarand trying unsuccessfully to urge his mount forward to accompany him. With a slight smile, Tarkyn gave Jarand’s horse exemption from the request to stand still. He did not want to humiliate his brother any more than he already had done.

Tarkyn nodded courteously to the wizard and the captain, before turning to walk beside the horse carrying his brother. Nothing was said until they rounded the bend out of sight of Jarand’s troops. Then Tarkyn stepped off the road into the trees at a point where Jarand’s horse could follow and led him back around to the firesite. In fact, the firesite was not far from where Jarand’s troops waited and was close enough for Danton to overhear the conversation while maintaining his shield.

“Here we are,” said Tarkyn. “I have a fire waiting with a kettle boiling. I thought you might like a cup of tea. I’m afraid I don’t have enough for your entire troop but at least I can offer you something.”

Jarand’s glare was wasted because Tarkyn didn’t look at him while he expanded his shield over the fire and set about making cups of tea.

“Most kind of you,” said Jarand at last, with heavy irony.

Finally Tarkyn straightened up and looked at him, “So. Are you going to come down or do you need the comfort of your horse? I would prefer to talk to you face to face but I will leave it up to you.”

Jarand shot him a poisonous look before dismounting. Tarkyn placed a cup of tea on a stump some distance away so that Jarand could retrieve it without needing to lift part of his shield near his brother.

Tarkyn sat himself down against a log and gestured casually for Jarand to join him.

Jarand was outraged, “How dare you seat yourself while I am standing?”

Tarkyn smiled up at him, quite unmoved. “For three reasons, but for now I will only tell you two of them. Firstly, I care less than I did for protocol and secondly, since I am no longer a member of sorcerer society, I no longer acknowledge your superior rank.”

Jarand choked on his tea and spent the next few minutes in the throes of a coughing fit. Tarkyn waited patiently, sipping his tea.

When he had recovered, Jarand eyed him, “You seem very sure of yourself for a hunted felon.”

Despite his outward calm, Tarkyn stomach turned over at these words. He sipped his tea to maintain his equilibrium and said, “If I am a hunted felon, I have only you and Kosar to thank for it. But I am sorry that you think of me in that way.”

“Why have you brought me here?” asked Jarand suddenly.

“Why have you come?”

“To recapture you, of course, and have you brought to justice.”

Tarkyn shook his head. “We both know justice has no place in this. If you must maintain this pretence, do it with people who will believe you. Don’t waste my time and yours.”

Jarand stared at him. “Kosar was right. I didn’t realise what a threat you were until now. You were never so strong, so sure of yourself at court.”

Tarkyn raised his eyes to look at his brother, “I have had to learn a lot in a short time. And Kosar was wrong. I was never a threat to you or him. Not then. Maybe not even now. We’ll see.”

His older brother frowned, “What do you mean, ‘We’ll see’?”

Suddenly Tarkyn grinned, “I mean, I will see whether you two can sort yourselves out or whether I need to intervene.”

Jarand gobbled. “You arrogant little upstart! What do you think you’re doing - sitting in judgement on your older brothers?”

Tarkyn shrugged, still smiling. “You did it to me with far less cause. I’m just returning the favour.”

Jarand was so agitated that he sprang to his feet and began to pace. Tarkyn simply watched him until he settled down. Eventually Jarand’s brain clicked back into gear and he turned to Tarkyn and asked, “So, alone and exiled, how are you proposing to present a threat to either of us?”

Tarkyn’s eyes twinkled, “In case you hadn’t notice, I have just overcome eighty of your men and isolated you with, to be honest, minimal effort.”

“You haven’t overcome me. I am safely within my shield.”

“So you are,” said Tarkyn spuriously.

Jarand did not feel at all reassured. After a moment, Tarkyn asked, “Have you spoken to Journeyman since he attempted to capture me?”

Jarand waved an impatient hand, “Not in any detail. I received a garbled message from him trying to give excuses for his abject failure. I am a little disappointed in him, I must say. The man seems to be a lunatic. Some of the things he said were laughable.”

“I see.”

Jarand stopped and glowered down at Tarkyn with his hands on his hips. “What do you mean, ‘I see’? You have become unbelievably irritating.”

Tarkyn laughed and stood up to face his brother. “I beg your pardon. I really did not bring you here, just to irritate you.” He paused while he thought through the wisdom of verifying Journeyman’s story, “Well, I might as well tell you myself, because sooner or later, the evidence from Journeyman and the other hunters will make you realise that he’s not fantasizing.”

“Tell me what?”

“Well, let me see. I would say the things he told you that you didn’t believe were that my shield had become reflective in the Great Hall when all those people were killed and that I can perform more than one spell at once.” Tarkyn paused, “Would that be about right?”

“Yes. It would.”

“All true, I’m afraid.”

Jarand let out an impatient sigh. “Oh my stars! I’m surrounded by idiots.”

Tarkyn didn’t bother answering but merely murmured “Liefka” and sent a small stream of bronze to lift the kettle off the fire and bring it through his shield to him. When he had settled it safely on the ground, he looked at Jarand with a shy, proud smile on his face.

LiefkaSuddenly all Jarand saw was his younger brother, having done something clever, hoping that his older brother would applaud him. Despite himself, he smiled and shook his head. “Very clever, Tarkyn. Very clever indeed.”

Tarkyn beamed, “Thanks. More tea?”

They both laughed but it was not long before Jarand’s smile faded as he thought through the implications of Tarkyn’s skill.

“Can you penetrate my shield?”

“No.”

“Hmm. But if what that wizard says is true, you were able to protect yourself while forcing the hunters down a path they didn’t want to take, weren’t you?”

Tarkyn nodded as he finished making a second cup of tea. As before, he placed Jarand’s cup safely away from him. Finally, he looked up, “Jarand, you are safe with me. I will not hurt you, not at this time and in this place, anyway. But I could.”

The calm certainty in Tarkyn’s voice sent a chill down his brother’s spine.

“And why did you want to see me?” asked Jarand after a pause.

“To talk about Falling Rain.”

“Why? What about it?”

“Not what, who. Falling Rain is the person captured by Markazon and Stormaway all those years ago. You knew about him and visited him when Stormaway wasn’t there… Didn’t you?”

Jarand looked stunned, “How do you know all these things? You were only little at the time. Who told you? Stormaway didn’t know. Even if you had spoken to this Falling Rain character, how would he have known who I was?”