Michael Mathias - The Wizard and the Warlord

“That’s not funny, lad!” Oarly raged. “They’re… they’re… they’re fargin stinging me, Phen!” he cried out in a voice that was a full octave higher than normal. He flailed his arms and ran around the council chamber, hopping and spinning.

“Back to the pump house,” Lord Gregory ordered through his guffaws.

“Or jump in one of the troughs,” High King Mikahl added with a slap of his knee. Then to Lord Gregory, Mikahl said, “I bet a gold piece that the dwarf doesn’t make fun of Phen’s magic wand again.”

Phen let Oarly suffer his swarm of magic bees until after he had eaten his midday meal. Luckily, the welts and stings disappeared along with the rest of the illusion. Phen reveled in how potent his spells had become, especially with the dragon tear medallion aiding him. A simple illusion had not only caused Oarly pain, it had caused his skin to react by swelling and turning plum red. It seemed to Phen that while the spell was in effect, it was really more than an illusion. He vowed to experiment with those types of spells on the journey.

That afternoon, he and Oarly, along with Lord Gregory and Lady Telgra, inspected the three wagons that were still being loaded.

“It will take years to get through the mountains with all this stuff,” Telgra said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I’ve got a pack and a saddlebag worth of stuff that Queen Rosa and Lady Trella loaned me. That’s all I’m taking.” She turned to Phen. “What is all of this for?”

Phen found Oarly and Lord Gregory staring at him for an answer as well. He hadn’t talked to her yet. The loading of the wagons had distracted him.

“Walk with me, my lady,” Phen said, offering her his arm. “There are a few things you should know before you commit to this quest.”

“I would say so, if you are planning on dragging all this over the mountains.” She hooked her arm in his and they started away. They walked to a quiet place outside the barn where the wagons were staged. The fall breeze was cool, yet the sun was bright. They stopped in the small strip of shade that ran alongside the main structure.

Phen looked at her. “We are going to spend the harsh winter months with the Skyler Clan. They are the people who…”

“They are the ones who climb the sacred cliffs for hawkling eggs,” she said over him.

“Aye,” Phen touched her chin and pulled her gaze to meet his. “What else do you remember?”

“Nothing about myself. So all of that stuff is to get us through winter then?”

“Yes, it is, but I have to tell you more.” Phen smiled awkwardly. No matter how hard he tried, the idea that this beautiful elven girl was staring at a petrified freak made out of marble wouldn’t escape the back of his mind. “We’re not stopping at the Leif Repline fountain… I mean… we are…” he shook his head and grabbed the bridge of his nose. “We’re stopping there, but once we’re done at the fountain pool, we’re continuing on. A friend of mine, Hyden Hawk, is in the clan village we’re going to lay over at. He is a great wizard. He is going with us to the fountain. His familiar, the hawkling named Talon that I told you of, shares the same affliction as me.”

“You told me about Talon on the boat,” Telgra said. “Where are we going after the Leif Repline?”

“On the far side of the mountains there is an artifact, or an enchanted weapon, or something that Hyden says can be used to seal away the demons and the Dark Lord for good.”

“Those lands aren’t even on your maps and yet you’re going there after some magical thing?”

“Yes.” He shrugged, showing that it was out of his control. “I only found out early this morning. I was supposed to tell you sooner, but I got caught up with Oarly and packing.”

“You told me that Vaegon was the one elf who helped the kingdom of men against the demons.” She stood proudly and her wild eyes flared as she spoke. “Now there is another. I will go on this quest into the unknown with you.”

“But what if after you get your memory back you don’t want to continue?” Phen asked with concern. “We won’t be able to escort you home. You could be an elven princess or something.”

“That’s silly, Phen.” She giggled at the idea of it. “I won’t change my mind. You have my word. And if I do, I will suffer my decision on my own.”

“All right,” Phen nodded. His happiness was plainly visible by the huge grin on his stony face.

“What are we going to do in your friend’s village all winter, Phen?” she asked with a grin as wide as his. Her eyes met his and she put her arm around him.

Phen found that he suddenly needed to be thinking about something else.

“The lad is in a fix,” said Oarly to Lord Gregory. “I can see it plain. Humans and elves aren’t meant to be attracted to each other, yet I see she is as smitten as he is.”

“Phen doesn't really appear to be human anymore, though,” Lord Gregory replied. “And you have to admit, she is beautiful.”

“She’s probably a hundred years older than him,” Oarly grumbled. “The boy will get his heart broken.”

“We all do, sooner or later.”

Oarly looked at the Lion Lord and realized it was the truth of it. He nodded and changed the subject. “So the horses that we use to pull the wagons will act as our pack horses next spring then?”

“Aye.” Lord Gregory was glad to be back to business. “You’ll have twelve horses available when you leave in the spring. I don’t know if you’ll use them all or not. Hyden’s cousins, Tylen, Shalloo, or even Little Con, might want to go with you. It will be good if they do because they have experience in the heights and can hunt and scout for the group.”

“It’s too large a group already, I think,” Oarly said. “We’ll attract too much attention. The smaller predators will flee us, but the larger ones will see us as a threat or a meal.”

“Don’t let me find out that you are afraid of the mist monster,” Lord Gregory chuckled. “All those tales of ice dragons and dread wolves are just campfire stories.”

“They’re more than stories, man,” Oarly argued. “Those tales came from happenings. Embelished maybe, but I bet my boot flask they aren’t just made up.”

“No, they are not,” Phen said as he and Telgra returned. “There are razor-toothed snow worms, gargantuan shagmar bears, and giant mountain-trolls up there. There’s a hundred other things as well.”

“What in the fargin hells is a snow worm, lad?”Oarly asked with concern showing plainly on his face.

“They burrow through the snow and snatch you under as you’re walking along,” Telgra said, with hand animations adding to the effect of her words. “Shloop!” she sounded loudly, making a falling-through-the-surface motion. “Just like that, you’re gone.”

Phen and Lord Gregory both laughed at the wide-eyed look on Oarly’s face.

“You should be on the training yard watching the High King, lady,” Lord Gregory said after a moment.

“Why?” Telgra asked.

“He is choosing your escorts today. It is amusing. It seems that all the men who are capable of managing a wagon and a four-horse team aren’t capable of wielding a sword.”

“The wagon drivers can return with you and the empty wagons,” Phen said.

“Aye,” Lord Gregory agreed. “That’s what I told him.”

“By Doon, there’s going to be a hundred men on this trek before nightfall.” Oarly stormed off toward the horse pen where Mikahl was practicing.

“I’m going to speak with Queen Rosa and the ladies,” Telgra said. “Finding guards is men’s work.”

“I’ll escort you,” Lord Gregory said. He was still grinning over Oarly’s discomfort from the snow worms. “I need a word with Lady Trella anyway.”