The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [140]
Suddenly from up ahead, they hear horns blaring and see the three riders turn and head back toward them at a full gallop. Coming into view behind the riders is a line of uniformed horsemen.
James brings his horse to a stop and dismounts.
“What are you doing?” Miko asks anxiously.
“Going to slow them up a bit,” he replies. Handing Miko his reins he says, “Here, hang on to this for a second.” He then turns and faces the riders who are coming fast.
Concentrating, he takes one of his stones and throws it as he casts his spell. It flies unerringly toward the rear rider and hits, causing him to fall backward off his horse.
Taking another stone, he does the same to a second rider. This time the rider’s foot gets caught in the stirrup as he falls and is dragged along the ground before the horse comes to a stop.
By this time, the remaining rider has seen James and Miko and are making straight for them. James throws a third stone and this time nails the horse not the man, knocking the rider to the ground.
The man hits the ground at a roll and is on his feet not far from where James is standing. He looks at James and then glances back at the cavalry rapidly approaching. The man reaches into his shirt and then puts something into his mouth. A second later he grips his stomach and falls over to the ground, not moving.
“What happened to him?” Miko asks.
“He’s poisoned himself,” says James. “Guess he didn’t want to be taken captive.” They stand still and wait until the cavalry approaches.
“Stay where you are!” one of the men commands as the riders approach. Several hold lances and lower them, covering James and Miko. The riders encircle the pair, leaving an opening to allow another rider to pass through their ranks. This rider is an older man, with hair turning slightly gray at the edges. His uniform is of better quality than those of the others. Must be an officer, James thinks to himself.
“Now, who might you two be?” he asks when he draws close, looking down from the back of his horse.
James answers, “My name is James and this is my friend Miko.”
When he hears their names, he nods and says to one of his men on his right, “Lieutenant, see to the dead riders and send out scouts. I want to know where they are and fast.”
“Yes, sir,” replies the man next to him who then turns and begins to bark out orders.
Turning back to James and Miko, the leader dismounts and hands his reins to another rider. “Greetings James, I am Captain Varos of the King’s cavalry.” He extends his hand and James shakes it. “So, would you happen to know someone by the name of Rylin?” he asks.
“As a matter of fact we do, Captain,” James replies. “We helped him rescue two ladies from bandits earlier.”
“Thought you might be them,” he explains. “We ran into him and the ladies back at the caravan. They said you had gone in pursuit of another group of bandits that had taken off with their horses.”
Nodding, James says, “That is correct. We found them too, but they had met up with a larger band and any chance of recovering the stolen horses was gone.”
“Oh? How many were there? Where did you see them?” he asks intently.
“There were over fifty men and their camp was further south, about ten miles or so,” James explains. “But they had begun breaking camp about the time when we began to follow them.” He gestures to the dead men. “I think the main body was probably going to head south, though I am not positive.”
”Lieutenant!” the officer bellows.
The lieutenant comes over to him, “Sir!”
“These men say their encampment was about ten miles to the south and that they broke camp not too long ago, possibly heading south. Send the scouts out in that direction and have the men ready to ride in five minutes.”
“Yes, sir, Captain!” the lieutenant salutes and proceeds to carry out the orders.
Another rider comes up and salutes, “Captain, we searched the bodies but found nothing on them. One looks like he was poisoned.”
“Very good,” the captain replies and the man goes back to his duties. “Poisoned?” the captain asks when he turns his attention