Shades Of The Past Part 29

While Jiron keeps an eye on the gate leading into the compound, James pulls out his mirror and brings the view of the other side of the wall into focus. Guards patrol the wall as well as the inner compound. Slaves move to and fro as they go about their duties. Many buildings, similar to those found in the complex where they rescued Miko are positioned off to one side.

At the base of the mountain at the end of the box canyon lays the mine entrance. A hundred feet wide, there are two sets of ore cart tracks upon which mule drawn ore carts are brought out of the mine. From the looks of it, one is for ore carts coming out and the other is for them to return.

The contents of one ore cart are currently being transferred by slaves into a waiting wagon. Several other empty wagons wait in line for their turn. While the ore cart is being unloaded, the mules are unhitched and then rehitched to the other side. Once the cart is empty, a switch is thrown and the tracks shift allowing the mules to pull the cart to the other track, the one upon which the carts return to the mine. Once past, the switch is thrown again and the next cart waiting in line is pulled forward.

James works the image to move into the mine but is unable to see clearly due to the lack of sufficient light. Having seen all he needs to, he puts away his mirror.

"So," begins Jiron, "will we need to get in there?"

Shaking his head, James replies, "I don't think so. Give me a minute while I check out something." Jiron nods his head as James' eyes close.

"What's he doing now?" Jared whispers to Jiron.

"I don't know," he replies. "Maybe taking a look inside the mine."

Just then the gate begins to swing open and four ore filled wagons roll through. When the last wagon pa.s.ses through the gate, it again swings shut. Each wagon has a driver and a guard, neither look to be too worried about attack. By the time the wagons have rolled out of sight down the road, James comes back to them.

"There are fissures all in that mountain," he tells them. "We'll come back tonight and collapse the mine."

"Why not do it now?" Jared asks.

Before James has a chance to answer, Jiron says, "Because the mine is full of slaves and they would all be killed. At night they are taken out, makes them last longer."

"Right," agrees James.

Moving quickly they return to the road and in no time are on the outskirts of Ki. Wary at first in case the dead man has been discovered, they approach the town slowly. But when they see the people moving about in a normal manner, they relax. Going directly to the inn, they are soon back in their rooms.

"We'll leave shortly before midnight," James tells them. "Get what rest you can for it may be the last for awhile." They have a quick lunch before they turn in for a nap. James sits on the side of his bed as he gazes down at the sack of crystals he brought. Within are several more of the power crystals as well as others that have a more specific purpose. He wonders if the power stored within will be enough to enable him to maintain the spell that prevents anyone from finding him magically. When the mine goes, they'll know precisely where he is and all their power will come to bear until they find him.

Dong...Dong...Dong...

The tolling of the bell announces it's time for the a.s.sembly of Masters to gather in the Great Hall. Kerith-Ayxt sits at the table in the secret room going over for the last time the spells needed to bind Aekion to his will. A day's rest has restored much of his strength, he will need it for what is to come.

When the bell tolls for the last time he closes the book and comes to his feet. As he leaves the secret room he says the word of power and the wall once again seals shut. He dons his ceremonial robe and then leaves his room.

Aezyl, Mage of the Third Circle, awaits him outside and walks with him as he takes the stairs down to the bottom. "Everything is ready milord," he says.

"Excellent Aezyl," he replies. In the courtyard outside the Tower of the Magi, all those not included within the a.s.sembly of Masters have gathered, even the novices who have yet to achieve the rank of the First Circle.

As he exits the tower the a.s.sembled mages part for him, creating a way to the Great Hall. A hushed murmur runs through them as he makes his way through their ranks, for though they may not know exactly what will happen, they know it's something monumental.

Upon reaching the Great Hall he begins to climb the fourteen steps to the ornate double doors at the top. Upon reaching the tenth step, two Mages of the Second Circle who are standing before the doors open them for the Lord High Magus. Once he and Aezyl pa.s.s through the doors, the Seconds close them with a resounding thud.

All the mages gathered within the Great Hall are dressed in ceremonial robes similar to his. Light from hundreds of candles illuminates the Great Hall. In the center of the rotunda lies the Great Seal of Power, upon which a pentagram glows darkly with power.

Moving to his place at the apex of the pentagram, Kerith-Ayxt readies himself. Coming to a stop, he faces the a.s.sembled mages and says, "Let us begin."

Before they set out for the mine, James takes out his map of targets within the Empire that Lord Pytherian had supplied him with. Laying it out upon the table he indicates a town to the southwest. "Here is our next target. This town is used as a supply depot for the army," he explains. "Food, goods and weapons are brought here from all over before being sent to the armies at the front. If we can take out the storehouses and goods, it could take them some time before supplies can be sent to the front."

"Those will definitely be guarded," Jared states.

"I realize that," he says. "We'll deal with that when we get there." He then moves his finger along the road leaving that town to the west. "From there we high tail it west and cross the river here at Inziala." He stops his finger over the river town. "Once across the river we work our way north until we rejoin Illan and the others."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Jiron says. Jared gives him an odd look and he only grins in reply.

"Now, let's go down to the stable and get going," he says. "Bring everything. I seriously doubt if we will be coming back here."

"You got that right," agrees Jiron.

Leaving their room, they make it down to the stables. Outside is quite dark, the sun has been down for several hours now. Despite their attempt at being quiet, the stableboy wakes up and comes to help them in getting their horses ready for travel. When all is ready, James flips the boy another copper before they mount.

They leave the inn's courtyard and make their way through town to the road leading up to the mine. The streets are dark with only the moon overhead lighting their way. Once on the road leading to the mine, they waste no time in hurrying along.

A cool wind blowing off the mountain feels good after the heat of the day. The sound of their horses' hooves reverberates in the quiet as they proceed further up the mountain.

It doesn't seem all that long before the wall enclosing the mine complex appears before them. Torches are s.p.a.ced at twenty foot intervals along the top of the wall and several guards are visible in the light.

"That's dumb," comments Jiron.

"What?" James asks.

"With those torches up there they won't be able to see much of what's on the outside," he explains. "Will ruin their night vision."

"I doubt if their greatest concern is what's on the outside," James replies.

Jiron nods in agreement.

They pull off the road a ways and leave Jared with the horses while Jiron and James work their way closer to the wall. In the darkness they are able to come fairly close without fear of the guards seeing them.

"I think this will be close enough," James says as he comes to a stop. The place he stops is a dozen or so yards from the wall and twice that from the gate. He settles down on the ground and Jiron comes to stand next to him.

At his belt is the pouch containing power crystals, similar to the ones he used when the enemy tried to locate him. He takes a few deep breaths to settle his nerves and then glances up to Jiron standing next to him. "Get me out of here if things go bad," he says.

Jiron grins. He knows what he means by bad. "Don't worry, I will," he a.s.sures him. It wouldn't be the first time he's had to carry an unconscious James to safety after he expended himself doing magic. Fortunately though, those times are becoming fewer and fewer.

Closing his eyes, James brings forth the magic and sends his senses into the mine. The mine is on a single level that extends deep within the mountain. A moment's hesitation comes when he finds slaves still within the mine, but not nearly the number that would be there during the day.

Jiron hears him sigh and asks, "What's wrong?"

"There are still slaves within the mine," he tells him.

"A lot?" he asks.

"No, just about a dozen or so," he replies.

"That going to be a problem?" he asks, afraid of the answer.

James shakes his head and then returns to what he came for. He takes his time in examining the stone encompa.s.sing the mine. What he's looking for are points where he can take advantage of unstable sections of rocks to collapse the mine.

As he searches, his mind keeps returning to the slaves still within the mine. It doesn't look as if they are doing anything, might be sleeping. From what Miko had told him of his time as a mine slave, these slaves may be undergoing punishment for one thing or another and that's why they are still in there.

Then an idea comes to him. Searching for just the right spot, he begins weakening support beams and widening cracks in an area further into the mine than where the slaves are. If he creates a cave-in, they may just run out.

After a few minutes, he can feel the rock above the tunnel shift and begin to rumble. Then suddenly, rock begins falling as the ceiling caves in. Moving his senses to the slaves, he's relived to discover they are now further toward the entrance.

When Jiron initially had returned and described the box canyon, he thought about bringing the side of the mountain down to block the mine. But then when he came and saw the complex in his mirror, he realized that if he did it would bury the entire place and kill everyone. Sometimes he wishes he was a bit less concerned with the welfare of others, sure would make life easier. But he is, so now he's trying to bring it down from the inside.

They begin to hear noise coming from the other side of the wall as the cave-in is reported. He realizes he has to work fast before more slaves and workers are sent in to clear it. Again sending his senses deep within the mountain, he works on reducing the strength of the stone.

Crews begin rushing into the mountain to begin clearing the cave-in as more tremors shake the mountain. James begins to sense sections of the mine beginning to collapse as the mountain gives out with a groan. The men who had so recently entered the mine to sh.o.r.e it up are now running back out.

Then what he had tried to avoid happens. A ma.s.sive rumble courses through the earth as the side of the mountain gives way. With a roar like a thousand giants going into battle, rocks and trees begin to slide down the side.

Recognizing the sound from the last time James had brought the mountain down on the trail back from Saragon, he grabs him by the shoulder and jerks him to his feet. "Come on!" he yells. Propelling him before him, he gets him moving quickly back to where Jared waits with the horses.

"What's going on?" Jared yells when he sees them running toward him.

"Avalanche!" James hollers over the roar. "We got to get out of here."

Mounting quickly, they turn their horses toward the road leading down the mountain and ride like their lives depend on it.

From behind them, a belch of dust envelopes them and blinds them to the road. Coughing from the dust clouding the air, they continue racing blind down the road. A sudden flare of light and James' orb appears overhead to help them keep to the road.

When the roar of the mountain falling behind them finally grinds to a halt, they slow only slightly to prevent an accidental misstep by their horses. "Go!" James yells when Jared begins slowing down even further. "We've got to get out of here, they know where I am and will be coming."

Jared nods and then picks up speed again. The dust cloud diminishes the further away from the mine they go.

Lights appear out of the darkness ahead as citizens of Ki come to investigate what happened. Hundreds of people are hurrying up the road, those on horseback leaving those on foot behind in their haste to reach the mine. James cancels his...o...b..and plunges them back into darkness.

"Don't stop for anything," Jiron yells to the others as the riders come near. The lead rider slows down at their approach and starts speaking to them as they fly by. The man yells something but then is left behind. Moving to the edge of the road, Jiron takes the lead as they race past worried and fearful townsfolk.

As James rides past, he can't help but see the worry and fear on the faces of many women. He knows they aren't likely to find their men alive when they get there. Sadness comes over him a moment then he swallows it down and tries to concentrate solely on keeping his horse behind Jiron and not on what he just did to these people. Riding fast in the night, they soon leave Ki behind as they race westward.

Sweat streaming down his face, Kerith-Ayxt faces Aekion where he's bound within the pentagram. Twice the height of a man, Aekion towers over the High Mage. Wreathed in flame, the heat coming from him is almost to the point of being unbearable. He can feel Aekion working against the spells holding him.

Tendrils of power come to him from the other mages within the Great Hall. Several have already fainted away from the exertion despite the power being taken from the slaves. They started with a hundred and twenty two slaves, now only forty four remain with a couple dropping every minute. And the spells that are to bind Aekion to hunt for the mage have yet to be completed.

Aekion's form shifts as he stands within the pentagram. First the shape of a man aflame, then that of a wildfire and then something even more bizarre. But Aekion always returns to the humanoid form.

Kerith-Ayxt wrestles to place spell after spell upon the creature before him. Another mage sags to the floor, and then another. This is taking more than I thought. This is taking more than I thought. The errant thought comes to him, disrupting his concentration for a split second before he banishes it. Concentrating on the task at hand, he steadily works to bind the creature. The errant thought comes to him, disrupting his concentration for a split second before he banishes it. Concentrating on the task at hand, he steadily works to bind the creature.

When all but the final spell has been laid upon the creature, the power coming to him begins to diminish. Casting a glance toward where the slaves are being held, he finds there are no longer any left to supply power. Panic begins to ensue as he realizes he's not going to have the power to finish what he began.

Out of desperation, he yells to the mage who had been draining the slaves, "The Novices!"

Nodding understanding, the mage rushes from the Great Hall and shortly afterwards, the flow of power is restored.

Returning to the flaming creature before him, The High Magus completes the task at hand and lays the final spell of binding upon the creature. When at last it is complete, the glow of the pentagram fades and Aekion stands free before him. If any of the spells he laid this night was not done with perfection, the creature will kill him.

What would you have of me, master?

"A mage walks the Empire," he tells it. Between them a shimmering image begins to form and then solidifies into an exact replication of the rogue mage. "Find this man and kill him."

Yes master.

The flames wreathing his body suddenly flare to twice their brilliance and then Aekion is gone. Thus begins the hunt.

Chapter Twenty.

After leaving Ki behind them, they ride for several hours after taking the southwest road out of town. Wanting to put as much distance behind them as they can, they push their horses almost to the point of exhaustion before they decide to pull off the road and make camp.

Throughout the ride, James was expecting whoever tried to find him magically several days ago to attempt it again. What he did at the mines had to have been a beacon telling anyone where he is. Why they haven't yet makes him wonder. No matter the reason, he's glad he didn't have to fend off another of their probing attacks.

Jiron tells him to sleep through the rest of the night while he and Jared take turns at watch which suits him just fine. Twice during the night, riders could be heard moving in the direction of Ki. Neither time did the riders notice their camp set back off the road.

Jared was on watch when the first band of riders appeared and woke Jiron who prevented him from waking James. "I doubt if they will even know we're here," he explains. They don't have a campfire and are not very close to the road. Sure enough, the riders went on by without even slowing.

When the sound of the riders disappears in the distance, Jiron returns to his blanket. Before settling in he tells Jared to only wake him when 'Riders slow down and approach the camp'. The second set of riders pa.s.ses by during Jiron's turn at watch. Keeping an eye on them in the moonlight, he watches while they race past.

Even before dawn begins to dispel the darkness, they get underway. The short rest break they had wasn't enough, but they need to put as much distance between themselves and Ki as they can. Now that it is light, they will be much more leery of anyone approaching.

James takes out his mirror and brings the mine area into focus to see what he wrought. As the image clarifies he finds the mine complex completely gone, buried under tons of stone. The whole area is crawling with people as they search for survivors, though he seriously doubts if they'll find any.

Then he scans their immediate vicinity and finds a force of a thousand men east approaching Ki from the south. Whether in response to what he did there or if they were already on their way, he isn't sure.

Scrolling the image, he scans the road ahead and finds where their road intersects with another at a sizeable walled town. There they will need to take the road moving more westward in order to reach the next and most important area to hit.

He wasn't entirely truthful with Jiron and Jared when he told them of a storehouse and stockpiles of weapons. What he plans to hit is much bigger than that and likely to prove quite dangerous. For further to the west lies the Empire's School of the Arcane. He doesn't have any grand design to take on the mages there and kill them all, it's doubtful if he could even accomplish that.

No. What he wants to destroy is their library. Of all the things he's come to understand about making magic do what you want, is that knowledge of what you are trying to accomplish is the most important thing. He believes that taking out their library and the books contained within will greatly reduce their ability to train more mages effectively. The idea of destroying aged tomes of knowledge really bothers him however. But leaving knowledge in the hands of those who will use it to the detriment of others bothers him more.

Finished with his mirror, he returns it to his pack. "The area ahead of us looks clear," he tells the other two. "By tonight, we'll be at a crossroads where we will turn more to the west. Then another day and a half will see us to our destination."

"After that we head home?" Jared asks.

James nods. "That's right," he replies. "After that we rejoin the others and get out of the Empire as fast as we can."