• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

“Slaves are due here by noon,” Kerith-Ayxt states. He turns to look at the mage and says, “When they are, use them to find this mage.” The tone of his voice leaves little doubt of his fate should the master fail.

“Yes, milord,” the master replies.

Kerith-Ayxt motions for another mage, one of the Fourth Circle, to come close. “Have the First’s go in search of the mage,” he says.

“Milord?” questions the Fourth.

“Have them comb the area to the south and east by horse and foot until they find him,” he clarifies. “If they should find this rogue mage, have them create a beacon that we can home in on. Tell them not to attempt to take the mage on their own but to wait for others. Once we know where exactly to look it should be easy to keep an eye on him.”

“Yes milord,” the Fourth says as he quickly leaves the room.

Turning back to the image of his dead mages, the High Lord Magus seethes with rage.

Early the next morning when the sky is just beginning to lighten with the coming of the dawn, they set out. Same as the day before, they run parallel with the road while maintaining a discreet distance.

Jiron rides point a hundred feet ahead of James and Jared. The sun no sooner begins to crest the horizon before he makes out the silhouette of a rider almost directly ahead. The rider is sitting there staring in their direction. Jiron comes to a stop and waits for the others to join him.

Indicating the rider he asks James, “What do you make of that?”

Staring through the glare of the rising sun, he sees the rider just sitting there. “I’m not sure,” he replies.

“Could he be a scout?” suggests Jared.

“Seems a little young for that,” replies Jiron.

“Probably a farm lad out and about early in the morning,” decides James. “Pay him no attention.”

“Alright,” says Jiron as he gets his horse moving.

They don’t travel very far before James feels the tingling sensation of magic. “He’s a mage!” he exclaims. They look and find the lad with arms raised and sitting still.

“What’s he doing?” Jiron asks.

“I’m not sure but we better find out,” he replies. Kicking his horse into motion he races toward the boy with the other two right behind. Seeing them charging forward, the lad turns his horse and begins racing away.

They begin to gain on the boy when from the west and north, other riders make an appearance as they angle toward the fleeing rider. “Damn!” curses James. With their position now known, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to make an attempt on the School’s library.

More tingling is felt as the riders each summon magic. “They’re all mages,” James tells the others. “We better get out of here before more come.” Turning his horse, he heads north.

“Are they from the School?” asks Jared as he swings in to follow.

“Have to be. Since they couldn’t locate me by magic, they sent riders out to find me,” he speculates.

“But they still aren’t going to be able to track you though, right?” Jared asks nervously.

“They don’t need to track me specifically now,” he explains. “They can simply watch the stretch of desert that we are on and keep track of us that way.”

“So what do we do?” Jared replies.

“Wait for dark and try to lose the watchers then,” he says, though with the riders keeping an eye on them that will be hard to do. With Jiron again in the lead, they race north through the desert, all thoughts of tackling the library gone. Following behind them are five riders, each able to wield magic.

“Finally!” exclaims Kerith-Ayxt as the beacon comes to them. The master in charge of the Table soon has the desert in view where the First indicated. They see the First sitting there staring off across the desert. The master scrolls the image and soon has three riders in view.

“That’s them milord,” the master says.

“Excellent,” breathes the High Lord Magus. Staring at the three, he’s able to easily pick out the mage. To a Mage of the Fourth standing there with him he says, “Gather the Circles. We’re going to ride forth and take care of this mage once and for all.”