Michael Manning - The Line of Illeniel

I counted thirty-nine wagons as they left, heading back toward Lancaster’s house. Once the last one went by Penny and I ran to reach the head of the line. I wanted to be there in case we met anyone on our return trip. We were almost to the duke’s house when our luck ran out.

A small column of cavalry rode down the street from the opposite direction, at least thirty mounted soldiers armed with long spears. The gate to the duke’s house stood fifty yards ahead of the first wagon on the left hand side of the road. The soldiers were at least fifty yards or more beyond that. “Take the wagons inside. Ignore what occurs here. Line them up outside the duke’s store house, we’ll need to roll them in one by one when I get back,” I told Joe.

“What are you going to do?” he asked wide-eyed.

“I’m not sure. Penny stay with him,” I commanded and began running toward the oncoming horsemen.

“Like hell I will!” she said, pacing me easily. I should have known better than to try to keep her out of it. I sighed inwardly… outwardly my lungs were working hard to keep me supplied with air as we ran. We reached the duke’s gate well ahead of the cavalry. They had broken into a trot when they saw us but were still a good twenty yards away.

I put more power into my staff, causing it to blaze with light. “Stop!” I yelled. The cavalry commander held up a hand and the column came to a halt less than ten yards from us.

“What the hell is that you’re holding? Get out of the road fool, this is the king’s business!” their leader shouted at me. The light from my staff had left him uncertain; few people these days had any experience with magic.

“My name is Mordecai Illeniel. I am here to reclaim my property and be on my way. Withdraw and no one will have to be hurt,” I told them loudly.

“I thought as much,” he answered, shielding his eyes from the glare. “Surround the traitor!” he commanded.

I had expected that, “Lyet ni’Bierek!” I said loudly. Not that anyone could hear me over the roar of my ‘flash-bang’. I hadn’t used the spell since my battle in Lancaster Castle, but it was brutally effective here. Then I had faced men on foot… these were mounted. An intense dazzling flash of light went off, right in the middle of the column, accompanied by a sound like thunder. The light and sound were so powerful anyone within twenty or thirty feet of it would be deafened, and blinded as well if they were facing it. Men cried out in shock and fear, horses screamed and reared. Chaos erupted as most of the men were thrown from their bucking mounts.

My spell did no physical damage, but it hardly needed to. Panicked horses trampled some of the riders while others struggled to stand up. Riderless horses ran in every direction, some of them, still blind, ran into buildings. I might have laughed, but I could see a number of the men on the ground were not moving. Those that were able moved poorly, blind and disoriented. I put those to sleep. It seemed a mercy.

Penny was shouting at me but it was hard to hear her. I had forgotten to shield our ears again. “Why didn’t you just put them all to sleep at the start?” she yelled.

I shook my head. “I don’t think I could get that many at once,” I shouted back. In the past I had never put more than five or six to sleep at once, though I thought ten at a time might be doable. I looked back toward the wagons; they had stopped at the gate. Everyone was staring in our direction. I could hardly blame them. I began making motions with my arms, pointing at the gate. “Move your asses! This isn’t a show, don’t waste time!” I shouted.

That got them moving again. I could only hope we would have enough time to get the wagons out before the rest of the guard arrived. I noticed lights coming from shuttered windows along the street across from the duke’s house. I must have awakened everyone within a half a mile.

As the last wagon passed through the gate James closed and barred it. I gave him a nod and kept walking; I needed to get inside the store house quickly. The first wagon was already waiting at the large double doors when I got there. Joe stood next to it. “Get back on that damned wagon!” I told him roughly.

“I need to stay behind to keep the drovers moving,” he argued.

“Penny and James can do that, I need you to rouse the militia. This could take some time and I’m going to need men I can trust to keep the king’s men on the other side of that wall,” I pointed to the wall encircling the duke’s city estate. Despite Joe’s best efforts the wagons filled the yard with a jumbled confusion of men and horses. It might take us more than an hour to get them all through.

Joe climbed back onto the wagon and drove it into the store house. There in the middle of the open space was a large circle over thirty feet in diameter. I had originally drawn it in chalk but knowing that wagons would be rolling over it had made me fearful it would be damaged. Using my staff I had carefully gone over each line and symbol with an intense line of fire. The circle was now deeply etched into the stone of the floor.

Penny and I stood next to the wagon once Joe had positioned it within the circle. If I had made the jump without her she and I would have died before we realized the mistake of separating ourselves by so many miles. I cleared my mind and channeled energy into the circle around us, activating the symbols written there.

For an unsettling moment I thought I had failed, till I realized the walls of the building around us now were wood instead of stone. We were inside the barn I had prepared in Washbrook. I spoke to Joe quickly, “Drive the wagon out, and then go find Dorian. I want as many of the militia as possible armed and ready when I return. Make sure no one stands in the circle. As each wagon comes through I’ll need you to hustle them out of the barn as quickly as possible.”

“No problem, I’ll have the boys here by the time you get back,” he reassured me. I sincerely doubted that. It would take him at least fifteen minutes or more rouse the townspeople.

As soon as the wagon was clear of the circle I concentrated again and we were back in the duke’s store house. James stared at us dubiously from the doorway. “Well it looks like your spell works. I half expected it might kill you,” he said.

I held up my hands, “I still have all my fingers and toes.” He smiled at that. “I need you to keep the wagons coming in… one at a time. Once I have Joe back you can cross with the next wagon,” I told him.

“I’m in no hurry,” he replied. “You men… get that wagon moving!” he shouted back at the man on the seat of the wagon outside the doorway to the store house. Once the wagon was in the circle I repeated the process and it was soon moving through the doors of the barn in Washbrook. Joe had not returned yet (as I expected) so we went back to get the next wagon.

I had moved three more through before I found the militia standing outside barn. Twenty-odd men stood arrayed in heavy leather jerkins and armed with spears and bows. I noted that at some point they had acquired helmets. How my father had found the time for that amidst his other projects I’ll never know. Penny and I brought them back with us when we returned to Albamarl.

“Spread out along the walls outside. I want at least five men by the gate. Let me know the moment you see anyone approaching,” I told them hastily. “Bring the next wagon in!” I shouted to the driver sitting outside. “James you can come with this load,” I added.

“No I’ll wait. You may need me to keep them moving till everyone is clear. Take Lady Rose instead,” he replied.

I didn’t have time to debate matters with him. I took Rose by the arm and guided her over to stand by the wagon. She resisted me but I just put more force into it. “I don’t want to go yet! You need more help here!” she protested.