Brian Pratt - Trail of the Gods

Once they’re close, Jiron and Illan move to attack. They maintain a defensive posture as they wait for their friends to join the battle from behind. As yet, their attackers are still unaware that they’re even there.

From the coop, James can feel the pulsating of the crystals as each continues to draw power from the others. The enemy mage is quickly having his power sucked from him and has fallen to the ground, all but unconscious. He can see him there in the pulsating glow of the crystals, attempting to crawl away.

When Fifer and the others join the battle, they take out three men quickly before they realize they’re among them. Now evenly matched, each attacker faces off with one defender.

With only one man now to contend with, Jiron is able to go on the attack. The enemy before him is no ordinary fighter, he quickly realizes. Every attack he tries, the man blocks and with being heavily armored, he’s finding it hard to get an opening for his knife.

The back door suddenly swings open again as Miko rushes out in just his underclothes, sword in hand. He moves to aid Illan with his opponent.

“Miko!” James cries when he sees him rushing to the fight.

Fifer’s enemy falls to the ground, his sword stuck between the man’s ribs. He reaches down and takes the other man’s sword and moves to help Yern who’s having a harder time with his.

The crystals are beginning to emit the high pitched tone, similar to the one which had been emitted by the others earlier in the day before they exploded. The mage now lies unmoving, one of the crystals less than a foot from his outstretched hand. In the light of the crystals, it looks as if his skin has been pulled in tight around his skull. His eyes look shrunken and his hands almost skeletal.

“Down!” James yells at the top of his lungs. “Everybody, DOWN!”

Those still engaged with enemies abruptly break off and fling themselves away and to the ground.

Ka-Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupts as the three crystals explode. The shockwave rolls over them and knocks down the remaining enemies who hit the ground, dazed. Those closest to them quickly move to dispatch them before they’re able to regain their senses.

Looking to where the chicken coop once had stood, James sees a small crater where the explosion had created a hole over a foot deep and six across. There’s no sign of the mage that had been there, several dead chickens can be found lying here and there.

Everyone gets back up, James searches for Miko who’s helping Illan up. “Are you okay?” he asks him.

Miko turns and says, “I’m fine.”

James looks into his eyes and sees that he is fine. He was afraid that battle might have triggered latent effects from the Fire, but he’s glad he had been mistaken.

“Everyone okay?” Illan hollers out as he gets up.

Only a few minor cuts and one on Yern’s left arm that’ll require stitching. Otherwise, they came off well.

“Is it over?” Roland asks from the doorway to the kitchen.

“Yeah,” replies Uther. “Ask Tersa to come and help Yern, he’s got a bad cut needing to be sewed.”

He turns back to those waiting in the kitchen a moment and then hollers back to Uther, “Bring him inside.”

Uther walks with Yern into the house as the others survey the scene.

“Gather the dead,” Illan tells Jorry and Fifer. Miko pitches in as well. Walking with James to the hole where the chicken coop once stood, he asks, “Is this where you hid the Fire?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” he replies. “I was hoping for the chickens to let us know if someone disturbed them. It worked.” They see one of their shovels lying near the hole, the entire top half of the handle gone. Picking it up, he continues, “Guess we’ll need a new shovel.”

“Not only sightseers, now we have to worry about possible attacks by the Empire,” says Illan.

“I figured they would come, eventually,” admits James. “I just didn’t expect it this soon.”

“Are you close to having it ready to be secured away forever?” he asks.

“Getting there,” he answers. “Still a couple things I need to work on.”

Fifer comes up and asks, “What are we going to do with the bodies?”

“We’ll dig a hole out in the forest and dump them in,” Illan replies.

“I’m going to go see the mayor tomorrow and let him know what happened,” James announces. “I think he has a right to know, maybe he can get word to Ceryn who could keep an eye out as well.”

”Good idea,” Illan says. To the rest he raises his voice, “Everyone grab a shovel and pick, we’ve got a hole to dig.”

When James starts to head to the barn to grab a shovel to help, Illan stops him and says, “You leave this to us.” Then he moves along with the others to get this deed done.

Uther comes out of the house with a lantern and joins them.

James walks back into the kitchen and sees Yern sitting at the table, Tersa finishing securing the bandage on his arm. “You okay?” he asks.

Yern gives him a smile and replies, “Been better, but with this lovely angel’s help, I’ll survive.”

Tersa blushes slightly as she begins clearing away the blood and the soiled rags.

“Who were they?” Roland asks.

“One was a mage, the others soldiers of the Empire,” he tells them.

Ezra gets a scared look in her eye and clutches Arkie tighter. “What were they doing here?” she asks.

“The Empire has little love for me, I’m sure,” he says.

Roland chuckles a little as he adds, “After what you’ve said you did, I don’t think we can assume they’ll just leave you alone. Besides, you’re a rouge mage, not under their control and they will most likely see you as their greatest threat.”

“Oh I doubt that,” James says. “But we should be cautious from this point on.” Turning to Ezra he continues, “Tomorrow I’m planning on going into town to talk to the mayor. I’ll also see about getting more chickens, the ones we had are dead.”

“You leave it to me to get the chickens,” she tells him. “I know someone who was saying at the market just the other day how she has too many now that her boys are gone.”

“Very well, tell Roland how much you think you’ll need,” he says. Getting up, he moves over to the window and looks out. He can see the light from the lantern off in the forest where they’re digging the grave. Suddenly tired, he says, “I’m going to bed.”

“Good night James,” Ezra says to him.

“Good night to you all,” he replies and then leaves the kitchen.

Getting into bed, he lies there for awhile as he thinks about the attack. I’ve got to get the Fire out of here, it’s putting innocents in jeopardy. Next time we may not be so fortunate. How long till next time?

Finally sleep wins out over worry.

The following morning when James heads into town, Jiron and Miko accompany him. Illan told him that after last night, he shouldn’t be out alone. At the end of the lane, he finds Jorry and Yern standing guard to stop anyone from coming onto the property.

They wave at them as they pass by and soon are nearing the outskirts of town. With Jiron on his right and Miko on his left, they move through the outlying buildings of Trendle.

“The streets look a bit more crowded than before,” Jiron states.

James had been thinking about the night before and hadn’t been paying very much attention. But now that he is, he sees what Jiron means. The crowds are slightly more crowded and there are many faces he’s never seen before.

When they begin moving among the people, he can hear hushed conversations and every once in a while catches someone pointing at him out of the corner of his eye. Irritating.