PREVIOUS CHAPTERS: TWELVE; THIRTEEN; FOURTEEN; FIFTEEN; SIXTEEN; SEVENTEEN; EIGHTEEN. Chapter twelve has links to all chapters, right from the beginning. HAPPY READING
Winter, First Week of Year 22 of Koram
Chamik had been a monastery hundreds of years ago. The religion of those ancient people had not survived but their knowledge of healing and medicine had. There were half a dozen sanitariums where people from all over the Kingdom came to recuperate. The village of Chamik had grown around these sanitariums, on the slopes of the Chamik hills that were the natural boundary for the Wilds. At seven leagues from Takhsila on the only cobbled road north of the city, Chamik had become a market town for all the villages in the area.
Iset was easy to talk to, with a ready smile and the innate optimism of the young. Mahon learned that Aasia looked nothing like Mahon. She was as tall as him and their eyes were very similar but there the likeness ended. Aasia was fair and her oval face and a generous mouth made her stand out. Mahon had finally something to tease Aasia with. For Aasia somebody teasing her about young boys infatuated and dreaming about her was a complete surprise. Mahon and Aasia were talking about attacking in confined spaces- something she was studying, and Mahon remarked. "Here I am worrying about techniques while you can just give an inviting smile and all the men will surrender." Mahon had to explain his conversation with Iset, which he elongated with comments about Iset's dreamy expressions, succeeding in infuriating Aasia into a mental plea. "Stop!" Mahon's explosion of mirth was a typical sibling reaction. When Aasia threatened to cut their conversation Mahon said sorry and pleaded that he had would never do this again. And Aasia retorted. "Of Course! Until I mention Iram." After a moment's silence both of them burst into laughter.
They reached Chamik in the evening of the third day. Mahon was introduced as Aasia's brother to the other Aghauri who had reached Chamik in the last twenty four hours after buying produce from various local villages. They were waiting for the pair that had gone to Takhsila and would return by nightfall. Tomorrow they would spend the remaining gold on purchases from Chamik and leave the city for the week long trek home. The pair from Takhsila reached them just as the dinner was served. The dinner was a simple meal of spiced porridge and mulled wine. The young pair started reporting to the leader of the group, first about the purchase of grain, cheese, tools and other things; and then about the news they heard in the city.
The young Aghauri was reporting about news received from Shamarank. At the mention of Shamarank Mahon stopped eating and focused on hearing the news. An elven business house was raided on the eve of Winterfair and the thieves made away with twenty thousand gold coins. Mahon felt his heart swelling till he heard that two people had been killed and one captured by the elven mages. Mahon asked. "Do you know who was captured?" "an old mixblood, ironborn it seems. They are sending him to Harden City in a few days." Mahon froze as if stricken. "Pinnet." He whispered. "Forgive me." Mahon said and bowing to all he stood up and left the circle. Aasia he thought.
"You are aggrieved, Mahon what happened."
"Pinnet has been captured in Shamarank."
"No! No! ..You are sure. " Mahon related the news he heard. "The raid on Winterfair was my idea."
Aasia responded suddenly wary. "Mahon! Stop. We need to think of a way.."
Mahon interrupted. "I don't have a choice Aasia. I must go." He blocked his mind and turned back towards the Aghauri. He spoke to the leader. "Father. I need to go to Harden before they kill him. I need your help. Two horses and provisions for a week. I do not have anything of value on me except a few silvers, two sacks of black currants and my pony." In half an hour Mahon left for Harden city with two horses and an Aghuri guide to show him the way to bypass Takhsila by taking the hilly roads. Mahon was dressed like a highlander with a woolen shawl draped around his head and shoulders. After riding and walking for twenty hours, they stopped for a rest. Mahon tried to contact Aasia. She responded with wave of grief. "The elven will be alert. And they know you Mahon. They are chasing you since you left Shamarank."
Mahon replied calmly. "Aasia, this has to be done. I can not live with the death of Pinnet. I have to try to rescue him."
"Alone! That is stupid."
Mahon replied with calm. "There is no other way. I have a name of a baker in Harden. A safe house."
"Don't go. Mahon.."
"Please Aasia, I need you to support me. I want you to lend me your strength. We have this connection, may be other things are possible."
Every night of the journey Aasia and Mahon tried to lend their powers to each other. It happened on the third night but it was too tiring. Still they practiced and there was some improvement but it was still tiring. Some leagues outside the city Mahon joined a group of locals going to Harden to sell ale for grain. He entered Harden without a problem. There were many soldiers but winter had brought many of the villagers to Harden. Mahon waited till the morning rush began, to contact the baker. The news was that the Butcher was still in Harden and the prisoner would be here today. The butcher had wanted that the prisoner be transported by his apprentice who was returning from Greenvale. So they waited at Shamarank for the caravan from Greenvale to arrive. Mahon asked the baker what should he do in case of emergency, if he needed help to flee. He was told of an old ruin, a league outside Harden just before the fork that led to Ashvale. The baker would be there at midnight. Thanking him Mahon left.
There was no time to plan. Mahon had to attack the caravan transporting Pinnet as far from Harden as he could. He did not want to face the Butcher. To his disappointment he did not have to travel much. Ten minutes outside Harden, he reached the caravan as he rode around a bend in the road; they were still too far to make out anything more than the silhouettes of the soldiers in front. Mahon dismounted and walked into the trees by the roadside. Choosing a young oak he climbed onto a branch about ten feet high so he could get a good look at what he was facing. Two rows of four mounted soldiers were in the front followed by two closed carriages flanked by a soldier on each side and followed by three rows of four soldiers each. An open cart with supplies trailed behind. There was no point in trying to gauge how many elves and mages were there in the carriages, he was not backing down; and the probe would only alert them.
Mahon set his horse in the middle of the road and retreating to the shelter of the oak he projected his voice. "Leave the prisoner and turn back." The response was a hail of arrows and a spear all aimed at the horse. Mahon reached out with tendrils of his magic. He had crushed the nearest soldiers heart before he sensed the probes; three mages, two in the first carriage and one in the second. Mahon caused the cobble stones to explode just ahead of the leading soldiers killing another solider and two horses. The caravan stopped and the soldiers began to look for the source of the attack. Mahon in the meantime had deflected two probes and one- the weakest one he had followed with his own magic and was now crushing the life out of the mage.
He felt a fourth mage locate him before he could deflect the fast and powerful probe. Mahon's magic had welled with the deaths of a soldier and a mage and he unleashed it in a ferocious energy pulse at the fourth mage. Two mages who were probing to locate him had stepped out of the carriage and saw the attack. They readied fireballs and threw them at Mahon even as the fourth mage died, his body ripped apart by the energy pulse. Mahon put up a shield but was late and the flames seared his hands, face and neck as he turned away. The pain ignited a rage Mahon had not known before. He lashed out with his magic gripping the hearts of both the mages punching through their shields with ease. With a scream of effort and pain he drained their magic and ended their life.
Mahon stalked towards the carriages shouting at the soldiers. "Go Away Now!" He made a rows of cobblestones erupt. One soldier was attempting to throw his spear, Mahon picked him and tore his head away. This was enough to make soldiers turn away in retreat. Mahon found Pinnet unconscious and bound on the floor of the first carriage. There was no magic around him that Mahon could sense. He picked up Pinnet and stepped outside. Mahon sensed elven approaching and hurried to put Pinnet across a horse before turning to face the new threat. Two mages were coming from Harden. Mahon stood in the middle of the carnage. Aasia help me now if you can. Mahon send to Aasia.
Mahon saw them as they rounded the bend "Go Away. I have no fight with you." Mahon shouted. The older of the two dismounted and replied . "What will they think of the Butcher if he runs away. Hum?" Then he threw an energy pulse at Mahon. Mahon deflected the pulse by raising a shield but it drained him. He saw the fireball sent by the second mage in time to dive away, he could not have shielded himself. Then he felt Aasia's strength flow into him. Mahon put up a shield and sent his magic towards the Butcher. The Butcher threw another powerful energy pulse, Mahon's shield shattered and he felt hundreds of pins going through him causing veins to burst and the skin to blister. But Mahon had not let go of his magic and the tendrils had found the Butcher's heart. Mahon squeezed and saw a surprised Butcher go down to his knees. Mahon put all his strength into a push and the Butcher's heart stopped. The second mage was building a fireball but the Butcher dying without any apparent reason startled him enough for the magic to dissipate.
Mahon's body was soaking up magic from the Butcher but the energy pulse had done too much damage. The damaged parts of Mahon's chest, face and neck had leaked out blood and without blood they could not hold magic. Mahon knew he was dying, the influx of magic was just delaying it. He stood and waved at the remaining mage to leave and watched him gallop away. He mounted the horse Pinnet was laid on and headed into the forest, towards the ruins the baker had told him about. It was dark when Mahon reached the ruins. How long it had taken he did not know. Mahon lay down Pinnet who was semiconscious, when he had woken Mahon did not remember. He cut Pinnet's bonds and gave him water from the bag in the saddle. Pinnet finally opened his eyes "Mahon" he whispered. Mahon was too tired to reply he just lay down. Aasia! My sister. He thought. My parting gift. Mahon willed all the strength and magic to Aasia. And this time surprisingly it flowed out easily. Mahon said "Sorry." and closed his eyes.
When the baker came at midnight he saw Pinnet digging a shallow grave with his hands. With his help Pinnet buried Mahon and left before emotions could overwhelm him.