The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [192]
From the group coming from the intersection, he hears, “He’s a mage!” Two crossbowmen from the group let fly bolts at him as the remaining soldiers rush forward.
With a wave of his hand, he creates a barrier that deflects the arrows harmlessly to the side. Concentrating hard, he casts a spell, the effort of which brings black spots to his eyes and his pulse pounding from the amount of power being used.
Magic flows into the rubble littering the alley from when the ground erupted. Pieces are drawn together and in no time, a stone creature is formed. Body of stone given life by magic it shuffles toward the soldiers who strike ineffectively at it with their weapons. It swings its arms and when it hits, bones shatter.
It positions itself between the soldiers and James, repulsing every attempt the soldiers make to get past. Realizing that they’ll be unable to get to James, they retreat back to the intersection where they disappear around the corner. The creature follows as far as the alley’s entrance before coming to a stop.
James’ head is pounding, this last spell had taken everything he had, and then some. His strength and energy are all but depleted. He leans against the building behind him and sags to the ground, on the verge of passing out. Spots fill his vision as consciousness wanes. The last thing he sees before slipping away is a young man dropping to the ground near him and then start walking toward him.
Epilog
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James awakens in a small dark room with only a single candle for light. The room looks like an old storage room with many boxes lining the walls. A single old tapestry hangs upon the far wall, obviously having seen better days. He’s lying on a blanket on the floor with another one covering him, his backpack sits beside him. He looks around and sees four people, two who aren’t much more than kids. Two are young men still in their teens, the oldest being around seventeen the other being slightly younger. The other two are girls, one couldn’t be more than sixteen while the other has an older feel to her.
As he sits up, they glance in his direction, gathering closer to one another as they watch to see what he’s going to do. “How did I get here?” he asks.
The younger of the girl timidly replies, “Jiron found you and brought you here.”
“You a mage?” the younger boy asks him.
He looks at each of them in turn and says, “Sort of, I suppose.”
“Cool,” he exclaims.
The older teen steps a little closer and says, “I was watching you when you fought those soldiers. That stone creature was something else.”
Remembering, James smiles and says, “Yeah, that was Rocky.”
“Rocky?” asks the older girl.
“That was what my friend always called him,” James explains. “Never thought to actually see him in action though.”
“When Jiron moved you,” the younger teen says, “Rocky fell apart into a pile of stones and dirt.”
Nodding, James sits there and thinks for a second then says, “Just where am I and who are you?”
“This is our hideout,” the older teen says. “We stay here from time to time.” Pointing to himself he says, “I’m Jiron and this here is Tinok,” indicating the younger teen. Then pointing to the older girl, he says, “That’s Delia and the other is Cassie.”
“My name is James and I thank you for getting me out of there,” he tells them. “Exactly what is happening out there?” he asks.
“The Empire’s forces have completely taken over the City,” explains Jiron. “Most of the younger people are being rounded up and taken south to be sold as slaves. Anyone caught on the streets runs the risk of being killed or captured. Some of the older ones are being left alone, but anyone they think could cause them problems is being dealt with, one way or another.”
“How long have I been here?” he asks.
“We brought you here yesterday and you’ve been asleep ever since,” explains Delia, the older girl. “It’s now night again, so a little over a day.”
Miko! James thinks to himself. What happened