Bronze Magic (Book 1) Read online

  “I don’t know when I’ve endured a harder one.” He sighed. “I feel sick to my stomach with the things I’ve said this evening.” He turned his head to look at the wizard, “And even more so with the things they have said. How much longer are we going to have to stay here?”

  Stormaway extricated a hand from within his bedding and placed it on Danton’s shoulder. “I’m afraid we’ll have to stay for at least a day or two afterwards, especially with your known association with the prince. Otherwise, suspicion may fall on you, and consequently, on Tarkyn and alert everyone to the prince’s presence in the area.”

  “Oh my stars!” groaned Danton. “I don’t know that I can do it.”

  “You can, because you must,” whispered Stormaway, not unkindly. “But let’s see if we can incapacitate the terrible two before you have to spend too much more time with them, shall we?”

  Danton’s teeth flashed in the dark in a brief smile. He sighed, “I still can’t retrieve all those things I’ve said, even if it would have been pointless to say anything else.”

  “Danton, look at me!” The wizard’s voice, even though only a whisper, sounded harsh in the darkness. “That wasn’t you who said those things. It was the person you were playing. Across the country there are hundreds of people saying things like that about Tarkyn. I’ve been listening to some of them tonight. Think of it as one of them. Not you. Leave it behind you, outside with the other two.”

  Some of the strain left the sorcerer’s eyes. He smiled tiredly. “Thanks Stormaway. I’ll try.” So saying, he rolled over and settled down to sleep.

  All through the night, a succession of large rats doggedly gnawed their way through the ropes tying the horses. By morning, only one strand of each rope was still in place. Despite the dislike some of the horses had for rats, none of them had done more than roll their eyes and stamp their feet occasionally.

  In the forest, just as the first rays of sunlight hit the top of the trees, Tarkyn released his connection with the last of the rats and sank into bed. ot long afterwards, Stormaway rose and, sitting in the corner of the tent, began to work his way through a couple of ancient tomes he had brought with him in his satchel. The wolves presented no problem to him. Summer Rain and he had already devised a concoction to put them safely to sleep for the duration of the night. It was the exquisite revenge that occupied his attention.

  Once Danton was up and dressed, he wandered off to procure them both some breakfast, leaving the wizard to his studies. When he returned, Stormaway glanced up and nodded his thanks as Danton handed him a cup of tea and a plate of freshly baked bread and soft cheese.

  “The problem is,” explained Stormaway, “that most poisonous plants either kill you quickly or only make you very uncomfortable for, at most, about three days while they go through your system.” He bit into his roll and munched on a mouthful before continuing, “Now, what I’m looking for is something that will cause them grief for at least a couple of weeks. That’s how long Tarkyn suffered serious pain. If I can’t come up with something longer term like that, then we may just have to kill them and be done with it.”

  Danton eyed the wizard with something between a frown and a smile hovering on his face, as he sat down opposite him. “You have a bloodthirsty streak that I am only now beginning to appreciate.” He took a sip of tea. “Of course we will have to kill them in the end. We can’t allow anyone to get away with attacking a member of the Royal Family, even if the prince has been outlawed.”

  The wizard shrugged, “Strategically, we can’t really kill them in the foreseeable future unless we can make it look accidental - and two people dying accidentally does strain people’s credulity somewhat.”

  Danton heaved a sigh, “Yes. I’m afraid I agree with you. We will have to leave their execution until the woodfolk are safe. I think the most frustrating aspect of this scheme we’re concocting is that we can’t afford to let them know why they are being made to suffer.”

  Stormaway gave a half smile, “Not very satisfactory, I agree. But one day in the future when we are well away from here, we will let them know in retrospect, before we kill them, that they were punished.”

  “Hmm.” Danton sipped his tea. “I can think of lots of ways of humiliating them but in every case, they would know someone had set them up or attacked them. It’s much harder to find a way to make them suffer with no apparent cause.”

  The wizard frowned thoughtfully. “I think what I need is a combination of poisons administered in different ways. Yes, I think that might do it. Where do they get their water from?”

  Danton thought about it. “They have a large wooden water barrel just outside their tent, but I don’t know where the water comes from.”

  “And how long would that water last them, do you think, before it needs to be refilled?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe four or five days. Depends on their wine to water ratio, if you see what I mean.”

  “Hmmm.” There was a protracted silence while Stormaway riffled through his books and thought through his tactics. Danton sat beside him patiently, eating his breakfast and allowing the expert free rein with his ideas. When Stormaway finally lifted his head, his eyes were glowing with satisfaction. “Right. I think I have it. Now, is there any protracted length of time that Andoran and Sargon will be away from their tent?”

  Danton nodded. “Most of today. They are heading off down to the road to bring back another group of travellers. They’re leaving mid morning and won’t be back until close to nightfall. Thank goodness. At least I won’t have to talk to them all day today.”

  “Excellent. We can put our long term punishment in place while they are gone and you will be able to set up their short term punishment when they return.” Stormaway ticked off a list on his fingers. “We’ll need to treat their bedding, their spare clothes, especially the undergarments, and a bottle of wine that they will drink tonight. I think it would be too hard to infect their food without affecting other people too. I expect everyone’s meals are cooked in the same place.” Stormaway frowned for a moment, “This water barrel of theirs. Does it have a tap at the bottom or do they just upend it and pour from the top?”

  Danton thought back, “It’s quite large. I’m sure it must have a tap. It would be refilled from the top, though.”

  The wizard rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. Just what we want. It is all coming together nicely. Now, you run along for a while. I need some time to prepare a few concoctions. Come back and tell me when they have gone and we’ll get to work.” Just as Danton was leaving the tent, the wizard called softly after him, “You know, even though I have devised several nasty experiences for them, I keep wanting to think of more. Nothing seems bad enough to repay that sort of treachery.”

  “No.” Danton looked back over his shoulder. “Nothing is bad enough.” our miles away and six hours later, Tarkyn was glaring down at Waterstone. “If they can’t ride, tie them to the horses. They may

  well be too weak to ride on their own, anyway.”

  “Woodfolk don’t ride horses,” reiterated Waterstone stubbornly. “Well, it’s about time you learnt.”

  “Horses leave tracks, Your Highness. We don’t.”

  Tarkyn put his hands on his hips. “And how are you proposing to carry three woodfolk, complete with chains, all the way here then? Awkward bundle, wouldn’t you say?”

  “We will manage. We have four hours before the guard changes.” Tarkyn turned away and took a couple of strides to calm his temper. He swung back and demanded, “And don’t you think the chains are going to make some noise and alert other people in the compound? What then? You’ll be exposed to everyone’s view and be unable to move quickly because of your burden.”

  Waterstone glared at him and said nothing.

  Tarkyn threw his hands up. “And then we’ll have ten imprisoned woodfolk and even more people knowing about you.”

  “The chains will make a lot of noise clanking up and down on a horse’s back anyway.”
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  “But at least you can be away from view inside the forest within seconds.”

  “Excellent,” said Waterstone with withering sarcasm. “Leaving a trail a mile wide that even the dimmest sorcerer can follow straight to us.” Tarkyn eyebrows came together in a frown that had the beginnings of puzzlement amongst the anger. “Waterstone. You’re being deliberately obtuse. You know better than that. We can easily extract Golden Toad and his family from the back of the horse up into the trees and let the horse keep going to leave a false trail.”

  Waterstone scowled disdainfully. “Any tracker would be able to see that the horse had slowed down or stopped. And its tracks would be shallower after its load was lifted.”

  Much to the woodman’s irritation, a slow smile began to dawn on the prince’s face. “And can you find no solution to this, Waterstone, my determinedly obstreperous friend?”

  “Don’t patronise me!” snapped Waterstone.

  “If I were patronising you, I would be praising you with insufficient cause. As it is, I find nothing whatsoever to praise. You are being a stubborn, oppositional, old goat.” Despite the words, the smile still hovered around Tarkyn’s lips, infuriating the woodman further.

  Waterstone put his hands on his hips and glowered at him. “Your suggestion is unworkable. But that is no reason to start insulting me.”

  Tarkyn smiled and shook his head. “Waterstone, even I can think of ways to overcome the problems you’ve raised. If a town dweller like me can do it, I’m sure you can. And before you accuse me of patronising you again, you should stop to consider the truth of what I’m saying.” He paused and his smile broadened. “Come on. Admit it. The real problem is that you’re scared of horses.”

  Waterstone stared at him in silence. Then as Tarkyn watched, a dull red crept over the woodman’s face from the neck upwards. There was a long awkward pause.

  Finally the prince said quietly “Sorry, Waterstone. I didn’t mean to be flippant about something you’re sensitive about. I didn’t realise it would matter. There’s nothing wrong with being scared of horses. Lots of people are.” A thought struck him, “But if all woodfolk are scared of horses, then that really will put paid to my plan.”

  Waterstone dropped his eyes. He cleared his throat, “Not all woodfolk are scared of horses. There are forest ponies that we come across from time to time.” He raised his eyes. “We don’t use them much, though, because of the tracks. That objection was genuine.”

  “I know, my friend. All your objections were genuine. But that doesn’t make them insurmountable.”

  Waterstone turned his head to look away into the trees. After a few moments, he returned his gaze to Tarkyn. “I don’t know that I can do it. They are so big and unpredictable.” He sighed. “When I was small, maybe three or fours years old, a hunting party came into the forest. We were watching from behind a row of trees. One of the horses broke away from the control of its rider. It lunged between the trees towards us and trampled the bush I was hiding behind. This huge animal towered high above me, its rider fighting for control. Its hoof scored the side of my shoulder as it plunged over me and off into the forest. Neither horse nor rider even noticed me but I will never forget them.” He gave a crooked smile. “I’ve always watched hunting parties from up in the trees since then.”

  Tarkyn smiled, “Very wise.” He hesitated, “Waterstone, you don’t have to go near the horses. Others can do that. All who wish to can ride. Everyone else can escape on foot. Only Golden Toad and his family should go on horseback so that you woodfolk are in view of the encampment for as short a time as possible.” The forest guardian considered his friend. “These horses will be under my guidance. They will do whatever we think is necessary to confuse the pursuit. I will back down gladly if you truly believe this to be a bad plan. But I don’t think either of us would want me to back down to pander to your fear.”

  “Now that would be patronising. No, I will have to deal with it somehow,” said the woodman firmly. He frowned, “I wasn’t deliberately misleading you with my objections just to protect myself, you know. I didn’t realise my fear was driving my thoughts.”

  “Do you really think you need to tell me that?” The prince’s amber eyes twinkled at him, “So now that we have that sorted, the question remains; is my plan workable and worth doing?”

  Waterstone sat down on the ground with his back against a solid birch while he thought through his objections and possible solutions. Tarkyn sat down next to him while he waited quietly for the answer.

  “Yes, on both counts,” Waterstone conceded finally. “We can easily swap the woodfolk for a load of wood to keep their hoof prints at the same depth. The horses can stop under several trees so that there is no way of telling where the exchange was made. Then they can lead the pursuit far from us before they allow themselves to be caught.” He looked up and grunted, “But get that self-satisfied grin off your face or I’ll think of another objection.”

  If anything, Tarkyn’s grin broadened. “I’m so pleased to discover you’re not perfect. It’s made my day!”

  Waterstone blinked in surprise. “What? Me? You’re mad. I’m always losing my temper, once so badly that I damaged the forest.”

  “True,” smiled Tarkyn.

  “And I can’t manage my resentment to the point that I nearly killed you.”

  “That wasn’t your fault. My ribs were already broken.”

  “Hmph. And I nearly abandoned you when I couldn’t handle the pressure.”

  Tarkyn waved all this aside. “But you didn’t. And you are so rock solid. I didn’t think there would be anything that could intimidate you.”

  “Well, there is,” said Waterstone shortly. “Anyway, have you looked at yourself lately? Nothing frightens you at all. You walked into that camp of hostile woodfolk and calmly threw yourself on their mercy.”

  “I don’t know what made you think I wasn’t frightened. Just because I didn’t fall down in a quivering heap doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared.” He shrugged. “I suppose though, to some extent you’re right.” Tarkyn flicked a quick glance at his friend, “My greatest fears aren’t physical.”

  “I know,” said Waterstone quietly.

  Tarkyn picked up a stick and set about breaking bits off the end. “Did I mention that I saw Andoran and Sargon at the camp?” he asked casually.

  Waterstone frowned. “No. You didn’t happen to mention that significant piece of information and you didn’t include it in your replay of your images.”

  “No. I also left out the fact that Danton spent some of yesterday afternoon and most of yesterday evening talking with them.”

  “You did, didn’t you?” Waterstone turned his head to look at the prince. “You didn’t consider that our safety might depend on these little snippets, I suppose?”

  Tarkyn turned troubled eyes to meet his friend’s gaze. “Stormaway knows. He was there in the background, at least in the afternoon. Danton knows I was watching too.” He gave a slight, reminiscent smile. “I sent the raven to sit on his shoulder. He hates birds. I sent it to reassure him that I trusted him. He thought it was funny at first but shortly afterwards, I could see he seemed shaken.” The prince’s smile faded. “I don’t know if that was because he was worried that I might be doubting him or whether it was because he was feeling guilty.”

  “And in the evening?”

  “I didn’t have time to watch closely because I was coordinating the rats eating through the horses’ ropes. But I do know Danton left Sargon and Andoran’s tent late in the evening. Stormaway didn’t go with him at all. I hope Stormaway knows what he’s doing.”

  “Stormaway is nobody’s fool,” said Waterstone reassuringly, “And to be honest, neither is Danton. If he were going to double cross us, I don’t think it would be in full view of your raven or with Stormaway knowing his movements.”

  Tarkyn nodded. “That’s what I think. That’s what I hope. Unless he’s doing a double bluff.”

  Waterstone shrugged. “If he is
, the damage is already done and he will have told them of your location. We must change your location now, just in case, before we set our plans into motion.”

  “You realise, that if any of you are captured, Danton would know you could be held to ransom in exchange for me. He knows I would give myself up to save you.”

  Waterstone patted the prince on the knee. “Tarkyn, you might want to, but you couldn’t. Even if those captured were threatened with execution, you couldn’t agree to exchange yourself for them. You would be condemning the rest of the woodfolk to losing their livelihood, their home and their safety. They would all die, but more slowly and painfully.” He smiled, “But if it’s any consolation, I think Danton will have figured that out and would know that you couldn’t give yourself up, whatever your wishes on the subject.”

  “This bloody sorcerous oath drives me crazy.”

  Waterstone glanced at the prince’s set face. “I hope you remember our conversation about self sacrifice. I’m not sure how much you’ve taken it to heart. Nobody wants you to sacrifice yourself, under any circumstances. Oath or not.”

  Tarkyn ran his hands through his long black hair and pulled it over one shoulder. “I think we’d better get going.”

  The woodman put a restraining hand on the prince’s arm as he went to rise. “Just a minute. You don’t believe me, do you?”

  Tarkyn glanced at him then looked down at his hair as he fiddled with the ends of it. “Hmm. I’ve been sacrificed before, for what might be considered the greater good. The next time, I’d rather do it myself than have it done to me. Anyway, this is different from last time we talked. I wouldn’t be sacrificing myself because of falling out with you. It would be to save the captured woodfolk and, even more importantly, rid your society of my presence and the oath.” He sighed, “I don’t know that I can face a whole new barrage of resentment with the spread of the oath.” Tarkyn waved a hand impatiently. “But this is a pointless discussion. I couldn’t do it even if I wanted to.”

  Waterstone stared at him, concern written on his face. “Do you know,” he said slowly, “for the first time, I begin to be glad of this sorcerous oath? Without it, you would be totally unsafe from yourself. You could talk yourself into sacrificing yourself as a way of protecting us and thereby fulfilling your side of the oath. If the forest’s safety did not hinge on us protecting you, nothing would stop you, would it?”