Hostages, page 4
After a moment, they started to clap and even pound on the table, however, which was a bit more normal. It wasn’t until Carl spoke that he understood the man’s response.
“Forgive me, Prince Anders. I’d figured you were going to draw for us, and instead I saw a different part of the world and people who seemed more real than the ones in this very room! I should have guessed, of course. This was a spectacle that I couldn’t have imagined, without witnessing it myself. Is the story close to what happened, do you think?”
Anders, standing near the front of the room, made a face then.
“Not perfectly. There were more people involved and I’d spent a lot of time with Beret first, so it made more sense to me when he made that speech than it might to you here. Salina had been standing next to Princess Lissa, the other apprentice great one of Barquea, at the time and I didn't show her, or Depak Sona, the Great One. I think the speech Beret gave was better. Then, I had to translate it, so that makes a difference.”
He wasn’t trying to be humble, but it sounded that way, when he spoke.
The rest of the evening was spent with him showing them other illusions. Ones of peoples and places that he’d mentioned, but not shown yet. Finally, late, they let him go. Not without a few offers from several of the ladies, as to where to sleep that night.
He opted to do that outside, in the woods, in a small earthen hut he made for himself. One that he turned, with some effort, into stone, with thick walls, and a very stout door. The only windows were on the top, like a glass house, and just as thick as the glass that he used for that. More than a half handspan, though not as clear as on those mighty structures. Just to be safe.
Even if he didn’t know why he suddenly felt like he had reason for that.
Chapter three
“I do not like the look of this, young Anders.”
The voice was his own, coming from his own lips, and muttered, though easily loud enough for anyone standing inside five paces to hear. No one was, thankfully. Instead, as he walked out into the slightly moist morning light, just as the sky was moving from true dark to a slightly pale aspect, he noticed that there were a good fifteen people standing in front of his tiny shack.
Not that the place was that at all.
He hadn’t bothered to decorate it on the outside, but it had two levels, and while he thought of it as small, the truth was that many families would have been proud enough to live in it. True, poor people, not the very wealthy, but it should work out to be a good enough place for Duke Caldas to park guests of even noble blood, in the future. If he didn’t want it taken down, of course.
Glancing at the people there, Anders sighed. Then spoke to Farad, doing so out loud in return. It was what they did when they needed to be very clear with one another.
“This can’t be good.” Still, he smiled, able to make out who was there, if only vaguely. Not all of them, either.
The Duke, Carl, the oldest son and heir and it seemed, Ezola. She, looking fine enough, he supposed, but was muttering herself. Summoning magic, as well. He nearly waited, not wanting to interrupt her. Then shook his head. These people probably hadn’t just happened to come first thing to see him off that day. Especially since he’d been planning to stay for several more, if he had leave to, from the king. Evie still needed to be watched.
Still, there were fighters there, with spears in their hands and chainmail on. He had some of that with him, but, of course, it was packed away. Inside. With his bow and short staff.
Rather than start out by killing, recalling that the Duke was in charge there and the cousin of the king, he sighed, trying to hide it. That was, of course, mainly about relaxing, since the array of people had given him a start.
“Is all well? Evie?” He didn’t whisper this time, since it was just possible that the woman had run into some distress and they were simply afraid to leave the safety of the castle compound without full sun being in the sky.
He doubted that, since Ezola stumbled in her words, on hearing him, breaking her spell. Hurriedly, she started over again. Anders had to touch her mind, focusing his own and stilling it, to get the general idea.
Her magic, when summoned, would do one thing only. Summon a bolt of lightning. A small one, but the hope was that she could cast that in his general direction well enough that the others there could attack suddenly, and take him. Why that was the plan, he didn't understand. Really, he didn’t think she had that one down, either.
Waving in her direction, Anders spoke in a normal tone.
“Homa wene misku, synis, fen ot...” It took him about two or three seconds, and was a very basic, if, hopefully elegant, spell.
She went silent, which instantly had her gasping, everyone looking at her.
“My voice!” That came out just fine, of course.
He grinned at her then.
“Right. I took that away, if you try to speak to cast a spell. Technically you could still do it, but if you haven’t practiced using your chant in your head, that’s probably going to be hard to manage just now.” He shrugged. “Not to be pressing in, but you do realize that I’m staying to do work for you, not seeking any kind of payment, don’t you? Have I offended you in some way? I wasn’t really turning you down for marriage, Ezola... I’m just... Well, to be frank on the matter, I’m young still and a bit shy that way. With women? Better than I was, but many people have suggested I wed of late, and truly, while I get that I should, soon, it comes at me as a bit much at times.” If she found him ugly or uncouth, the girl was probably going to be on him in a moment, he realized.
Instead, Carl snorted. It sounded dark, really.
“Move in! Attack!”
The men did as they were told, but not with lightning reflexes or speed. Even the Duke seemed to be a bit perplexed by the move. For his portion, Anders nearly started to kill people, but danced to the side, putting up a simple shield, the one tied to his left hand in a gesture, and pressed the men back, making them stumble and fall to the ground, in short order.
A thing which, he realized, was only going to work if they kept being soft with him, moving slowly as they were. Rather than murder them all, even if he had to stop that from happening, he cleared his throat and thought, hesitating himself for long enough that he ended up having to dance to the side as Carl moved in with a mid-weight blade.
That flashed in the air, but it was handled with skill and some eye toward accuracy. The man even seemed to work out roughly what Anders had going on, as far as a shield went, even if that was invisible. That didn’t save him from falling back, landing on his buttocks with a thump, of course.
“Robova, ma’uth, Adfa, nothoru et leendara, fen ot-” The arrayed people, even the five on the ground, coward back from him, as he spoke the spell. Not knowing what horror it would cast upon them.
Which was, of course, nothing at all.
Instead, as people cried out, he heard several voices speaking to him.
“What’s this?” The voice felt almost as if it were his own, from the sound of it, but belonged to Prince Robarts.
Anders cleared his throat. Speaking, but not letting on what was happening. If he blinked for too long, seeing through three pairs of eyes, with his own closed, he might be incapacitated, he knew. Still, if he had to kill these men, any of them, he needed witnesses who were unimpeachable.
“Sorry there. Duke Caldas, would you be willing to go over this for me? I came out and found Ezola trying to cast lightning at me, which... Of course, I can take as a mere prank or even a request for magic lessons, or her trying to impress me. Then Carl and these men attacked... I’m not certain why though. Again, have I given offense? You don’t like that glass houses, or the meal I made last night?”
He doubted those were truly going to be the problem. He might not be perfect, but even if the food hadn’t been specifically to taste for everyone, it had been wholesome and well enough done that he didn’t feel embarrassed by his efforts.
Everyone went silent, for a moment, on both sides of things. The men contacted with his spell paying attention, even if it had come upon them suddenly and without warning. Probably before they were even out of bed. At least he heard the rustling of cloth that he associated with such things. It was early, after all. He was up, and these people, but at the king’s palace only the servants rose that early. Which, of course, was probably what had saved him.
They’d thought to ambush him sleeping in the woods, out in the open. Not in a thick-walled fortress of his own design.
No one spoke for a moment, the Duke finally grunting. He was in fighting leathers, now that Anders noticed the clothing.
“It’s clear that Matty or Rob sent you here to scare us into obeying. We intend to send a message to them, about minding their manners. After all, I’m a Duke, not some common piece of filth to be scared by a few magic tricks!” There was a bit of venom in the voice.
The sense coming off of him was one of fear. It showed physically as well. Probably due to the man understanding that his forces were losing already that day. He probably should have brought in more, given everything. That he hadn’t was down to the idea that one man simply couldn’t fight nine. Not even with magic.
Not fast enough to save him.
Only, that wasn’t really the case at all.
Anders started to speak, when Matheus did it instead, in his head.
“Tell him to stop being an egotistical horse. Use those words, precisely, please.”
It was a bit rude, but he nodded.
“Stop being an egotistical horse, Duke Caldas.”
For some reason the man froze then, glaring, but also seeming very wary.
After a moment, he nodded.
“So, you aren’t just some clever boy sent to impress us with your few magic tricks, are you, Prince Anders. I should have known, coming here alone like this. Using what I said once to King Matheus against me like that. You read minds, as well as...” He waved at the men first, then at the hut.
Anders didn’t even let himself shrug in response. Farad, inside of him, was holding several spells ready, to take the fight back up, as soon as anyone came for him.
“I think we have a misunderstanding here. I’ll go now? Make sure that Evie is fed regularly, and not pressed to much in the next months, as she recovers. Would it be well with you if we don’t have blood here? I... Honestly, I don’t really want to kill this day, if I can help it.”
Carl stood up, growling, brandishing his sword from about five paces away. Two large steps and a lunge away from impaling Anders with it.
“What can you do, if we say no? Push us down again?”
He blinked, which was a mistake, since seeing three different scenes at once, all at different angles, was not a grand plan, in the middle of a fight. Farad spoke for them both, his lightly accented voice firm as he pointed. At Carl’s sword.
“Teth seve foru, nik seve foru, fen!” He yelled the spells, saying them all at once, focusing hard to make the trick seem seamless.
All at once, every sword and spear shaft in the area split into four very even pieces. Then Farad went on. Which was interesting.
“Denut hom, li in intir, fen ot”
As the men scrambled, or stood, and in two cases sat, in shock at their weapons failing, they all gasped, with a few actually screaming as the pain hit them. The li intir. The small pain. It wouldn’t actually harm them, Anders knew, having worked on the magical word himself. It worked though, he noticed. The men, all of them sitting suddenly, clutching themselves.
Not understanding what was going on.
Ezola was left on her feet. Not that he couldn’t have included her as well. It would simply take a different focus. The many men fell, however, and she went wide eyed, not having even brought a fighting blade with her that morning.
The Duke managed to speak first, gasping. Proving he wasn’t the weakest person there. Another of the downed people, a sturdy looking fellow with several prominent battle scars, actually managed to take his feet. He, at least, tried to pull a short sword, or a long knife, from his scabbard. That didn't work, being in four pieces already, but other than swearing, the man didn’t seem afraid.
The others did.
The older man, the Duke, winced.
“You’ve cursed us to death?” It was a strange thing to say and he nearly told them it was merely pain, and not harmful to them, when a trick occurred to him. After all, he wanted to leave that day, unmolested, if at all possible. He needed to pack and get to his horses, in order to do that, if he could. Otherwise, it would be a long walk back home.
So he nodded.
“It’s more complex than that. If you, or any man who you can give an order, comes within my sight, they will begin dying. If they can get more than ten miles, as a bird flies, away from me, inside half a day, that will cease and they will recover fully. This effect will last however, and has covered not only this area of the land, but will ride with all of you, for the rest of your lives. So, if you don’t want everyone here to pass in the next hours, I will need to make haste away.” He shrugged. “If I die, it will keep working, of course. It will take a few days to fully fade, even if I’m far enough away, so sending someone to kill me later is a poor plan. Do you understand, gentlemen?” He glanced at Ezola, who was shaking a bit. “My lady?”
If someone were trying that with him, he would have probably fought anyway, Anders knew. Then, it was clearly a lie. Not that he couldn’t have set such a thing up, but that was far too complex for anyone to bother putting into a single simple spell like he’d used. Not that he couldn’t have done it, but it had, honestly, never occurred to him before to prepare such a thing.
Now it had, of course.
Not to kill that way, over time, but to have a few tricks that would allow him to escape, if it was needed, that could be expressed in a few words, in a high intensity conflict.
The girl, looking younger suddenly, nodded.
“We... It was him! Carl forced us to do this!” She even, helpfully, pointed a finger at the man. For his part, even groaning on the ground, the man cursed at her.
“Lies! You know that it was your gentle words that persuaded father, you little liar! You failed to get Prince Anders put to sleep with the poisoned wine! Then that idiot Collin couldn’t even slip some herbs into the food last night! Don’t go blaming me, sister, you had your hand in this as well.”
The Duke, clearly being more intelligent than the others, or at least of a wiser composure, yelled.
“Silence! Go, with my leave Prince Anders. We will not follow or seek to strike at you. If... Will this really fade if you are allowed freedom to leave?”
Anders smiled then, tightly.
“It will. You have my word on that. As I said to you. Though, truly, if I die inside three days, by any means, you, at least the men here, will as well.” Thinking of a reason he hadn’t struck the women down, he shrugged. “Then, if you do that, others will come and take over.” Who they were, he didn't know and felt no need to add at the moment.
The older man, his lined face hard, seeming pained still, gave a nod.
“Go then, Prince Anders. Thank you for our lives.”
Carl, finding his feet, moved, haltingly, toward Anders.
“No! This is... Some trick. Take him!”
Anders sighed and shook his head.
“By your leave? To kill him before everyone else here dies?” The man wasn’t being fast about it, but two things happened, almost at once.
Two men, inside of his ear, spoke at once.
“Granted.” That was Alpert and King Matheus. His own father, who was currently the Regent of Yanse, which basically meant the king there, for the time being, and his grandfather, who ruled the land he was actually in. It was the latter one whom he’d actually been trying to ask permission from.
At the same time, the Duke, sounding as if he were truly fading, managed to speak.
“Can you leave him alive? He’s being a fool, at the moment, but isn’t a bad man. Just... Caught up. Render him insensible?”
He huffed, as Carl moved in on him, ready to grab him and, it seemed carry him to the ground. He just pushed him back, making him stumble, then shrugged.
“Hom sarandi, fen ot-” He had to point, and concentrate more than most spells required. The term wasn’t a new one, but it was, he realized, the very first time that he’d used it.
It came from the large second tome that Depak Sona had instructed him to learn. There were thousands of magical spell components in that, and while he could use them all, the truth was that common magic was, for him, made up of a few hundred common phrases. Putting a person to sleep, to aid them, in illness or even to slumber when a mind was worried or troubled, was simply one of them.
In the moment, it worked, the man actually being forced to lay down, and begin to breathe heavily.
Everyone seemed worried, so, even if the situation was tense, he explained.
“He sleeps and will until I release him.” He shook his head. “Oh... That... Denut hom sarandi, homa sarandi, fen ot-”
Then, as fast as had happened with Carl the heir, everyone laid down and stopped groaning, peacefully sleeping on the ground. That was just dirt, since he’d disturbed things the night before, with his magical efforts to make a secure place to sleep.
“I should go, before the whole castle comes after me.” He checked, but there was no one waiting in the woods with a crossbow or men ready to attack as he passed.
Robarts spoke then.
“This is a dark happening. Can you gain your freedom from here? We could send forces, but no one can reach you in time, I fear.”
Anders actually could, of course.
“I’ll go invisible. I just wanted the time to pack up, first. I’d been planning to stay for a few days, if allowed, by you gentlemen, to see to a woman who was with dire illness. She’s doing better, but the healing was taxing and... Well, she would have died inside the week. Hopefully she’s well enough. It should be fine, if they keep feeding her as I instructed. This... Well, you heard and saw what happened here. Much of it.”
