come with me, old woman? That’s funnier than the crazy fellow that went unconscious over his ale last night, blabbering about some strange beast.” Kunya didn’t move, not even to show the barest of a smile. “You’re … you’re serious. Fine, just don’t be a hindrance. It's not on me if you get killed out there.”
She said nothing to Algan for a moment, instead muttering under her breath in some language the lad couldn't understand. “I assure you I will be no hindrance, nor will I be slain as easily as you think.” In a flash, Kunya drew a thin blade and jabbed at Algan. The young man barely moved his shield in the way of the blow and retaliated with a relatively gentle thrust of the spear. It missed Kunya, as if turned aside by something, and she grinned.
“What kind of trick was that? I know that should have stuck you.”
“Trick? That was no trick. That is magic.” The lad blinked, a mixture of disbelief and confusion about what he had heard. His skills were far better than some parlor trick. “I am a mage of two disciplines, one arcane and one divine. You are acquainted with the church already, I am sure. I am a disciple of that faith, a practitioner of all that is good and light.”
“Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. 'Blessed be the light that shines upon us, for it turns away the darkness and evil within.' I already knew the priests practiced magic to heal the sick and the wounded, and I recognize the symbol on your robe,” Algan answered, noting the disc of a sun that was emblazoned on the right side in silver thread. In the sun's center a stern but kind face was detailed; the same symbol was carved deeply into the iron doors of the cathedral. “What about the other side to this?”
“Ah, the arcane... I am also a wizard. When I am not busy with the church I pore over ancient texts and research from this generation on how to cast magic without help from the gods or from innate ability. That is, I use my intellect to form magic by drawing energy from the mana that permeates everything.” Algan looked dumbfounded by the terminology and Kunya chuckled. “Mana is a source of magic energy. All magic draws from mana in one way or another. Some can use this energy naturally, and others are gifted with it through faith. Anyone who cannot do one of those two can learn through study and rigorous practice. That is part of what I do to use magic.”
“So … you can heal, because you're a priestess of the church of the sun, but you can also do other things. Okay, now I'm wondering what was put into my drink last night.” His brows furrowed in confusion as he shook his head and looked to the door. He momentarily debated if it was worth the effort to go back to his bunk, but his thought was interrupted.
“Nothing was put into your drink, at least that I am aware of. Watch and learn. Fell'iaahlmese'r.” Kunya motioned her hands over the shape of an imaginary pole or staff and a beam of fire erupted from one of her fingers, which then streaked into the sky about ten meters before burning itself out.
He stared at the faint shimmering that hung in the air from the display for a moment, briefly speechless. “Okay fine, that was impressive. I'll take your word about you being useful on this trip.” The young man had already resigned himself to being dragged along on this mission, whatever it was, and he secretly wanted to see what it led up to.
“Good. Let us move out then, the day is wasting away. I do need to stop at my home to gather what few supplies I have packed and then we can be on our way.” Kunya led Algan to a house with a small tower on one side, constructed of stone, and made her way inside. “Wait here.” She smiled and disappeared behind the door.
The lad nodded and propped himself against the wall next to the door. A few minutes later the wizard reemerged. “Now we may go. I had to gather my notes and what little supplies I need. You have rations, yes?” Algan nodded again and the two walked to the northern gates of the city, meandering through small crowds and merchant stands that made up the town's market.
“So, you study and prepare magic inside your head, like a recipe, and use that to get the mana to do what you want? That's crazy talk.” Algan said flatly. Kunya had been explaining it over and again to the young man as they leisurely walked along the street.
“Basically. It is a lot of work at first but it is very powerful if you know what you're doing. Mana is energy, and energy can do a lot of things depending on how it is manipulated. I am just now getting to where I can do more than simple tricks; it is only over the past year or so that I have been able to do that. My mentor lives quite some ways away, so after I began to master the basics he told me to come here and help this village prosper. It went easily enough, until the goblins began to get more organized and tactical.”
“I've heard there are a lot more raids on the trade caravans lately. It's dangerous to travel without a few armed guards, and most of the merchants here can't afford to hire that sort of protection.” He hadn't been released to help with the situation, as his mentor deemed him not yet skilled enough. Algan had not been in an actual live combat thus far.
“And we are going to take the fight to them instead of waiting for another raid, yes.” The gates were open during the day, and the pair made their way up the dusty road and slowly the village disappeared behind them. It wasn't until midday that they were truly in the wild, as any sign of civilization other than the road itself was out of sight. Trees sprouted from the flat plains and the sun overhead seemed to be more distant from the branches that began to overhang the path.
“Now it is time to delve into the forest. The goblin lairs are well removed from the main road to deter most people from seeking their dens out. The average person does not want to traipse through the woods and face a potential ambush of ten to twelve of the little creatures; for most that would be a quick death. We, on the other hand...” Kunya began.
“Are more prepared and skilled than the average person?” Algan finished. “Don't remind me.” He'd grown tired of hearing of the wizard's abilities and of their plans.
“I am liking you already,” Kunya answered, oblivious to his undertone of objection and annoyance. “Very well, I will simply keep our defenses up and guide you to where we need to go.” The map was old and ragged but clear enough to still be used, and it was updated recently with information about the raids. “I would guess that the raiding parties spread about evenly from their lair, so that would put them about a day's march from where we are now. We will cover what ground we can today and set camp. No fire, only a tent. The light will call attention from more than goblins.” Besides the ugly little humanoids, there were many animals in the forest – wolves, bears, and others called the wood home.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
A gale swept down the mountains to the north and was bitter for this early in the year. It bit through the canvas tent and into the blankets, yearning to devour the warmth of their bodies. The night wandered by without incident however, and the chill of the next morning brought a light coating of frost that clung to plants and tent alike. It cracked and fell away in flakes as they stirred and broke camp. Rations of dried meat and hard bread would have to do for the early trek.
“I already miss my bunk and a hot meal,” Algan complained as they trudged through the brush. Thorny branches scraped at his armor and occasionally snared on the scales before he broke away. The vegetation was dense and hard to negotiate on the path, and near impassable away from it.
“It is a hard life to adventure and we’re just getting started. Do not get used to anything less than what we have seen so far. Last night was fortunate since nothing came by to disturb us.” Even with her smaller frame the vines snagged on her robes and threatened to halt their progress. The goblins, on the other hand, had an easy time moving through here as they were much smaller and more agile; there
