Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li - Brian Pratt [137]
“Likely or not,” Fifer replies, “they did enter the city and they brought him out.”
“Do you have a mirror?” asks James suddenly. “Or perhaps a bowl of water?”
“Why?” he asks.
“I’ll be able to ascertain his whereabouts if you do?” replies James.
Fifer sees his confused look and explains, “He’s a mage.”
Eyes widening, Captain Alerin says, “Truly?” When Fifer nods affirmative, he says, “Never met one before.”
“Do you have a mirror?” James asks again.
Captain Alerin reaches over to another table and lifts up some paper revealing a four inch square mirror. Picking it up, he hands it over to James, “Will this do?”
“It’ll do just fine,” he replies as he takes it.
Setting it on the table in front of him, he motions for the captain to stand next to him. Concentrating on Lord Pytherian, he lets the magic flow and the image begins to form. Suddenly coming into focus, they see Lord Pytherian in a room with others, talking.
“Ah,” he says as he sees the image, a smile coming across his face.
“What?” asks James.
“He’s made it to Olton,” he says. When he sees their lack of understanding, he explains, “It’s a town to the north of us and as far as I know it’s still in Madoc territory. The ones with him are leaders of the town, as well as a few others I don’t recognize.”
“Could they be members of the alliance?” asks Fifer.
“Maybe,” he says. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out of these woods.”
“Is Colton well fortified?” asks Jiron suddenly. “Could it withstand an attack?”
Shaking his head, he says, “Hardly, it’s not that big of a town. If anyone were to attack, it wouldn’t be able to last very long. Why?”
“We saw a large force of foot soldiers moving around this forest,” explains James, indicating the position on the map. “If they were to surround and hit Colton, would they be able to hold them off?”
Looking worried, Captain Alerin says, “Not a chance. It would fall in a day.” Moving to the tent entrance he hollers for one of his men. When the man comes close, he says, “Send someone to Colton, warn of immediate attack by a large band of men moving from the east around the forest.”
“Wait,” he hears James say. When he glances back to him, James says, “There may be a quicker way.”
“Have someone stand by,” he tells the man who runs off to carry out his orders. He turns and comes back over to James, “How?”
“I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I might be able to give him a message,” James explains.
Looking skeptical, Captain Alerin says, “Alright, let’s see if it works.”
“First, let me see where exactly that army is now,” he says as the image shifts. Suddenly, they see the forest and the image quickly scrolls to the east. When it reaches the edge of the forest, James moves it first southward and when he fails to find the army, he moves it north.
“There!” Captain Alerin exclaims when the army of foot appears in the mirror.
“Do you know where that is?” asks James.
“It’s near the northern edge of the forest,” he tells him. “It’s several hours away from Colton.”
“Alright,” James says as he concentrates. Again, the mirror refocuses on Lord Pytherian and they hear him mumble, “Now to get his attention.”
“We have got to get word to the others in the Alliance that I’m back,” Lord Pytherian says. “We must remain united if we’re to stop the Empire. How long do you suppose the rest of Madoc will last if we fail here?”
Suddenly, one of the men he’s talking to gasps. There on the table before Lord Pytherian sits a round glowing orb.
Astonished cries begin erupting in the room. Lord Pytherian raises his arms and shouts, “Quiet!” The room becomes quiet as he stares at the orb, something strangely familiar about it. “James!” he whispers in sudden understanding. He glances around the room expecting to see him there.
The orb suddenly winks out, eliciting another round of murmuring. Where the orb had sat there begins to appear a black mark. Lord Pytherian again calls for silence as he leans closer to see what is happening.
The black mark begins moving until it forms the letter ‘T’.