your
shield, boy?" The Prince hissed.
"Fourteen hands or so, in every direction," I said,
nearly breathless with shock.
"Enough for all of us, if needed," Alvis kept his
head down, trimming the Prince's nails carefully.
"We just need warning before they make their
attempt," the Prince muttered angrily. "Bel will do his best, as will
the others, but we are treading dangerous ground, my friend."
"Your father would have died quickly, had he faced
this," Alvis agreed softly. "He would have attacked these traitors and
they would have killed him immediately. We must lower our heads to them, making
them think we are feeble sheep."
"They are taking credit for destroying our enemy in the
desert, when it was Bel and his Rangers who performed that magic for us,"
the Prince huffed. "Does the High Commander think I do not see through his
lies?"
"His wizards are lazy," Alvis nodded. "They
have talent, yes. They do not have the stamina for the long road."
"Boy, what is your name?" The Prince turned to me.
"They call me Re," I replied.
"Re, this is Alvis, who once advised my father, the
Prince Royal before me. Now he advises me, disguised as my valet. We have been
setting ourselves against the High Commander and his drug-trafficking thieves
for a long while, now. It is my hope that we win this battle, else we may all
be dead and the High Commander will dance upon our graves."
"My Prince, I will work to see that does not happen."
I bowed to him.
"Boy, I hope your shield works, we may have need of
it," Alvis murmured without lifting his eyes from his task.
* * *
"Some of the old wizards are attacking the fields in the
desert—I want you to go out and take care of that problem." The High
Commander handed Bel his new assignment.
"Shouldn't be difficult," Bel replied casually. "Get
your things together," he ordered the Rangers. Tory, too, lifted a pack to
his shoulder.
"Where did that one come from?" The High Commander
gestured toward Tory. He'd skipped right past Ry, who now resembled the absent
Pell.
"Bodyguard—good with shields," Bel said. "Not
much good with other spells, though."
"Good enough." The High Commander just wanted Bel
and his Rangers to take care of the problem he was encountering in the
desert—they were losing crops and it was nearing time for the harvest. If the
few remaining wild wizards kept attacking the fields, the workers he'd sent out
to tend the crops wouldn't go out to pick. They'd be too frightened. The High
Commander needed as much drakus seed as he could raise. Their recent encounter
with an unexpected enemy had devastated some of his fields. Sweeping aside his
black robes, the High Commander stalked out of the meeting room, leaving Bel
and the others to tend to business.
"Reah has mindspeech. Do either of you have that talent?"
Bel swung his pack over a shoulder. Ry looked at Tory and then back at Bel, a
huge grin on his face.
* * *
"I wish I had your talent, my friend. Someday, perhaps,
you'll tell me how you came by it." Bel stood inside the walls of the
outpost where he'd served with Commander Aris. He still had no idea what had
happened to the man. He addressed Ry after Ry folded all of them to the
outpost.
"Perhaps someday, I'll consider telling you where that
talent came from. Is this where we're staying?" Ry studied their austere surroundings.
"For the night, at least." Bel, Hish and Max dropped
their packs inside the barracks they'd used before. "Pick a bunk. We'll
have to feed ourselves tonight. Some food—not much—is still inside the
keepers."
* * *
"Tell me again why we didn't bring Reah with us?" Hish
was doing his best to chew the meat they'd cooked.
"I think I should ask her to teach me a little of what
she knows," Ry was cutting his meat into tiny pieces, hoping that would
make it easier to consume.
"How do you know her, anyway?" Bel was curious.
"Reah is my mate," Tory was struggling to consume
his dinner.
"You're joking." Bel almost dropped his fork.
"No. But she
shield, boy?" The Prince hissed.
"Fourteen hands or so, in every direction," I said,
nearly breathless with shock.
"Enough for all of us, if needed," Alvis kept his
head down, trimming the Prince's nails carefully.
"We just need warning before they make their
attempt," the Prince muttered angrily. "Bel will do his best, as will
the others, but we are treading dangerous ground, my friend."
"Your father would have died quickly, had he faced
this," Alvis agreed softly. "He would have attacked these traitors and
they would have killed him immediately. We must lower our heads to them, making
them think we are feeble sheep."
"They are taking credit for destroying our enemy in the
desert, when it was Bel and his Rangers who performed that magic for us,"
the Prince huffed. "Does the High Commander think I do not see through his
lies?"
"His wizards are lazy," Alvis nodded. "They
have talent, yes. They do not have the stamina for the long road."
"Boy, what is your name?" The Prince turned to me.
"They call me Re," I replied.
"Re, this is Alvis, who once advised my father, the
Prince Royal before me. Now he advises me, disguised as my valet. We have been
setting ourselves against the High Commander and his drug-trafficking thieves
for a long while, now. It is my hope that we win this battle, else we may all
be dead and the High Commander will dance upon our graves."
"My Prince, I will work to see that does not happen."
I bowed to him.
"Boy, I hope your shield works, we may have need of
it," Alvis murmured without lifting his eyes from his task.
* * *
"Some of the old wizards are attacking the fields in the
desert—I want you to go out and take care of that problem." The High
Commander handed Bel his new assignment.
"Shouldn't be difficult," Bel replied casually. "Get
your things together," he ordered the Rangers. Tory, too, lifted a pack to
his shoulder.
"Where did that one come from?" The High Commander
gestured toward Tory. He'd skipped right past Ry, who now resembled the absent
Pell.
"Bodyguard—good with shields," Bel said. "Not
much good with other spells, though."
"Good enough." The High Commander just wanted Bel
and his Rangers to take care of the problem he was encountering in the
desert—they were losing crops and it was nearing time for the harvest. If the
few remaining wild wizards kept attacking the fields, the workers he'd sent out
to tend the crops wouldn't go out to pick. They'd be too frightened. The High
Commander needed as much drakus seed as he could raise. Their recent encounter
with an unexpected enemy had devastated some of his fields. Sweeping aside his
black robes, the High Commander stalked out of the meeting room, leaving Bel
and the others to tend to business.
"Reah has mindspeech. Do either of you have that talent?"
Bel swung his pack over a shoulder. Ry looked at Tory and then back at Bel, a
huge grin on his face.
* * *
"I wish I had your talent, my friend. Someday, perhaps,
you'll tell me how you came by it." Bel stood inside the walls of the
outpost where he'd served with Commander Aris. He still had no idea what had
happened to the man. He addressed Ry after Ry folded all of them to the
outpost.
"Perhaps someday, I'll consider telling you where that
talent came from. Is this where we're staying?" Ry studied their austere surroundings.
"For the night, at least." Bel, Hish and Max dropped
their packs inside the barracks they'd used before. "Pick a bunk. We'll
have to feed ourselves tonight. Some food—not much—is still inside the
keepers."
* * *
"Tell me again why we didn't bring Reah with us?" Hish
was doing his best to chew the meat they'd cooked.
"I think I should ask her to teach me a little of what
she knows," Ry was cutting his meat into tiny pieces, hoping that would
make it easier to consume.
"How do you know her, anyway?" Bel was curious.
"Reah is my mate," Tory was struggling to consume
his dinner.
"You're joking." Bel almost dropped his fork.
"No. But she
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