The complete series, p.37
The Complete Series, page 37
part #1 of The Hidden Wizard Series
"There'll be plenty of opportunity for that, I have no doubt. But let's start with a stealthy approach. Do you think you are best suited to infiltrate?" Certan said to Lara.
"Yes, leave this one with me. Let's find a place to camp, and once we are settled I'll come back. I'll have a better chance once the crowd disperse and the guard relaxes a little," Lara said.
"Let's go." Alrion made a start and the others followed close behind.
"What's the big rush?" Lara said to Alrion.
"It's just so frustrating. We're hitting problem after problem, it's like we are always one step behind. I'm working so hard on improving my magic, but it's not helping," Alrion said.
"There will come a time when we may need to rely on it. However, growing in strength and experience is more than just increasing your power. Most of us can achieve quite a bit without a touch of magic," Certan said.
"That makes sense. It's like there's something inside that I just need to unleash," Alrion said.
"Unfortunately, your mentor Falric is not here, I am sure he would know what to say. Maybe there's a way you can deal with that without blowing things up," Lara said.
"You're right. I'll consult my book and think it through, do some exercises. It will keep my occupied while we wait," Alrion said. They continued walking and found a nice clearing a little off the main tracks.
Certan and Alrion settled in and Lara prepared to leave. “Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Lara whispered to Certan.
"Of course, we'll be fine."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Wish me luck," Lara said loud enough for Alrion to hear.
"Good luck," Certan said.
"Don't get caught," Alrion said.
"I'll do my best," Lara said with a wink, and dashed off into the cover of the nearby trees.
Lara took her time weaving back through the woods. She didn't want to return too quickly, and also wished to avoid being spotted by anyone. If the guard had showed the drawing to Certan, there could be others on the lookout for her and she didn't want to bring unwanted attention. Once she returned to the city gates, she noticed that the crowd had mostly dispersed. The gates were firmly closed, and there were two guards posted in a guard station above the walls.
I can't waltz in the front door, I'll need to find another way in. Without going too close, she started to skirt around the walls and see if there were any additional entrances.
As she progressed she didn't find any, but she did notice that there were no more guard towers.
"They don't expect to encounter anyone outside the main gate, I wonder if there's a way to climb the walls," Lara said to herself. Since it was quiet she approached the walls and looked at them closely. There were quite a few cracks, metallic supports, and other decorations on the wall to act as climbing aids. Of course, if she fell there was no safety net, but with the help of her dagger it would be possible.
"Only one way to find out. This better not end horribly," Lara whispered. She scrambled up the wall, using a large crack as her initial hand-hold. Next, she swung herself up to another crack, using her dagger to wedge in and hold her weight. It was a little unsteady, but worked.
Only a million manoeuvres left, Lara thought, staring up.
"Maybe I should have let Alrion blast a hole through here," she said as shuffled up to metal bar she could hang from. Her fingers started to slip, so she furiously kicked around to find a better foothold, and once she did, moved to another handhold. Sweat started to pour down her face.
Looking down, then regretting it, Lara realised that she was halfway up the wall.
May as well keep going. After some mental preparation, she began again. There was a relatively sizeable chunk of wall missing halfway up the remaining distance. If she could get there, then she would be able to rest a bit before completing the climb. Feeling a second wave of energy coming on, Lara pushed forward with confidence, spotting the best hand holds as quickly as she needed them.
With a concerted effort, she was poised to leap into the safe nook, but her feet slipped. Lashing out frantically with her dagger, she pierced the wall enough to slow her descent, find another handhold and propelling herself into the space.
"That was not very ladylike," she said, laughing quietly. Her adrenalin was pumping as she considered what could have happened. After taking a minute to calm down, she took more care approaching the last leg of the climb.
With great relief, she toppled over the top of the wall. Recognising it as a battlement, she quickly scanned both directions to see if there were any guards patrolling. She noticed a torch in the distance to her left, and started to crouch run in the opposite direction.
"Great another torch," she whispered. There was nowhere to run. She crept over to look at the way down inside the walls. There were a few houses and some trees nearby, but nothing to climb down easily.
That tree isn't so far away, she thought as she heard footsteps converging from both directions. Not wanting a confrontation, she leapt out into the darkness, aiming for a relatively thick tree branch. She landed on it, but couldn't maintain her balance, and stumbled further into the tree. Her hand couldn’t seem to grasp any of the branches and she braced herself for a rough landing.
Suddenly she stopped. One arm had somehow snagged something, and she was hanging in mid-air. It was hard to see what was below her, but it looked like grass.
"Please don't break anything," she told herself as she let go of the branch.
18
A New Lead
As she saw the ground approaching Lara put her arms out and tried to go into a roll. She had partial success, but didn't land straight and tumbled out of control thumping into another tree trunk. Everything was dead quiet.
I'm alive, but how noisy was that? she thought. The eerie calm continued, raising the tension. She heard voices conversing above her, but couldn't hear what they were saying.
"I hope those guards didn't notice," she wondered. When nothing happened, she slowly tested all her limbs. Everything seemed to work. Taking care, she stood up a bit shakily, but as she walked everything seemed to improve.
"Let's not do that again," Lara said to herself. She tried to appear like she belonged, as she stumbled around looking for a main road.
"It would help if it wasn't so damn dark," she whispered. But the darkness was also useful, since it kept her hidden. She crept past the nearest houses and found her way to some signs of life.
"Now, assuming Vincent and Celes are here, where would they be?" Lara mused. She decided to try and head to the most populated area of the city. That would be a good place to start. It just depended on whether the couple wanted to be found or not.
Lara didn't notice many people on the streets, which made sense if there had been a Blighter attack recently. That made her job a little easier, although she could stand out a little because of it. The buildings became bigger and bigger and Lara realised she had reached the main hub.
She had been here before, and as she stopped to look the place became more familiar. Her unorthodox entry and the dark had confused her a bit. Deciding to take a methodical approach, she walked over to the main gates to start her search. The buildings in the area were devoted to the guards, and it looked like they had borne the brunt of the Blighter attack.
What drove them here all of a sudden? Not a good sign. Moving on she came to a crossroads. To her left she could continue on to the trade and commercial district, or she could go right and enter the worker’s area.
Vincent likes to associate with other blacksmiths, but I doubt he'll be able to stay there. I'll try the local inns, Lara thought. She headed left and followed the lights and signs of life.
The bleak, quiet streets she had encountered quickly melted away. It seemed like the people who weren't hiding indoors were out celebrating. As Lara walked past, she decided to try the quietest inn. There was no way that Vincent and Celes would be joining the celebrations.
After scouting a few locations Lara settled on 'The Jocular Javelin-Thrower'. The crowd wasn't bursting out onto the street, and the noise level seemed lower. She stepped in and looked around.
The clientele was a lot less jocular than whoever the inn was named after, with minimal conversation. Most were just nursing their drinks in silence. However, Lara did spot some friendly faces in the corner. She made a beeline for them.
"Bit of a depressing place, isn't it?" Lara said.
"Lara! Great to see you!" Vincent said, jumping out of his chair to envelop Lara in a big hug. "Where's Alrion?" he said, instantly suspicious.
"Camping outside with Certan. I had to climb the bloody wall to get in.” Lara made a show of dusting off her clothes.
"Yes, I'm not surprised. It's been a bit of an adventure here. Take a seat, we have some information to share with you," Celes said.
"I'm sure you do, but you won't believe what happened to us," Lara said as she sat down. Vincent and Celes sat quietly, waiting to hear.
"We ran into Branthor. He's become a Shade!" Lara said. She looked at Vincent and Celes's reactions, and was confused.
"You don't seem surprised about that?" Lara said.
"The Shade part is interesting, but otherwise it confirms what we just heard. Branthor is calling himself Wraith and running quite a network of Tainted ones," Celes said.
"Figures, we have this absolutely crazy encounter and you have uncovered the same information."
"Tell us what happened," Vincent said.
"We went the alternate route, and nothing interesting happened. We saw this figure on the bridge, and it looked like a Shade. We attacked it with everything we had, and nothing seemed to really damage it."
"That's unusual. How did you get away?"
"It grabbed Certan and used him to talk to us. It seemed distracted, or unable to fully control its new form. But you know what worked on it? That sword you made. We managed to sever the hand holding Branthor, and it raged, destroying the bridge, and disappearing," Lara said.
"Good to know we have a weapon against it. We've had some similar excitement here, finding a Tainted One deep in Branthor's network. He summoned the Blighters to attack us. We think that perhaps as he was talking to us he was killed via his mental link," Vincent said.
"How is that even possible?" Lara said. She felt a chill go down her spine.
"I am not sure, but clearly there is a lot we don't know about how they operate. Let's get you some food and drink and talk this all through," Vincent said.
Lara relaxed a little, and settled back into the chair.
Hours later, they had shared all the details of their exploits.
"So where to from here," Celes said.
"I think we should continue our investigation, and let Alrion continue to the desert," Vincent said.
"So, we're the diversion?" Celes said.
"Yes. I don't like what happened here, but at least that army of Blighters was not directed at Alrion."
"It may help, keeping us a smaller group. We have Certan to guide us there," Lara said.
"Yes, he's all you need. Hopefully with this information you can dodge Wraith and his attackers more easily," Vincent said.
"Wraith?" Lara said.
"I don't think it is worth calling him Branthor anymore. He has become something else. May as well use his new name."
"Wraith it is. I guess I'll return to Alrion tonight and we can leave tomorrow, avoiding the city."
"That's best, they'll still be looking for you. Perhaps even more keenly since they have associated the Blighter attack with your presence," Celes said.
"More forest. Yay," Lara said.
"It'll be worth it. One more thing," Vincent said, leaning in closer.
"Yes?"
"Take care in the desert. It's a bleak place, so I hear. We may try and join you later if possible," Vincent said.
Lara said her goodbyes and left the inn. She felt re-energised by the familiar company, food, and the news. There wasn't much for her to go on, but she still felt like it was a success. She had found Alrion's parents, shared the situation and learnt some key information that may help them travel more safely.
Lara walked back the way she came, wondering if she should try and sneak out via the main gate or try her climbing trick again.
"I really don't want to scale that wall, once is enough," she said to herself, looking over at the looming structure. As she went to turn she almost walked into a man standing right in front of her.
"Sorry," she said, before looking more closely. He was tall and in a dark cloak, his face hidden.
"Not a problem, I did in fact step in front of you," the man said. He was in no hurry to move either.
"It's you! What's going on?" Lara said.
"Come this way so we can talk more," the man said. Lara followed along, puzzled at why this mysterious wizard was contacting her again.
"How are you?" he said.
"Fine. We've had a few adventures, but nothing we couldn't handle."
"Good. Things are going to become more difficult soon. You won't be able to hide your journey to the desert," the wizard said. Lara stopped in her tracks.
"How do you know about that?"
"It doesn't matter, let's just say I am invested in your journey. You're going to need help. Alrion needs more training," the wizard said. He stopped off the main path, under a tree.
"Give this to the monk, he will understand it," he said, handing Lara a slip of paper. She unfolded it and read the contents.
"What is this?" she said.
"Directions to a wizard who lives in the desert. You must make sure that Alrion meets him. He is called the Desert Wizard for good reason."
"He's going to wonder where I got this information," Lara said.
"You'll figure something out. What's important is that you find him and that he trains Alrion."
Lara thought that was a good plan. But she didn't trust this mysterious wizard. "I can do that. How is it that you can just tell me what to do?" she said.
"Because I am asking things you already want to do."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It will, in time. I won't hold you up any longer, good luck," the wizard said.
"How will I contact you if I need help?"
"Alrion knows how."
"But he doesn't know about you?"
"He will discover the way. Don't worry that about that. Just don't lose that note, it's critical," the wizard said. He gave Lara a short wave and vanished.
"Gone again. How do I keep getting caught up in these things?" Lara wondered. She pocketed the note and thought about how to get out.
"Not climbing that wall again," she told herself and headed for the main gate.
She noticed that there was only a light presence guarding the gate.
Not trying to keep people from going out. It would be easy to sneak past, but the gate itself would be an issue. However, she did notice something peculiar. She crept closer, avoiding the guards, and sticking to the darkness. Once she reached the gate she took a closer look.
"This is useful," she whispered. There was a square cut into the side of the gate. It looked like it opened. She carefully pushed it, to see what it did. The square pushed forward, revealing a small opening in the door.
Probably used for accepting things through the door, or negotiating. I wonder if I could fit, Lara thought. There was only one way to find out. She glanced back and saw that the guards were continuing their patrol, not particularly paying attention to the gate.
"Here goes.” Lara grasped onto the gate frame with both her hands and thrust her head through the square gap. With a little finessing, she was able to get her shoulders through then she fell out onto the other side. A quick movement as she landed helped soften the blow, and she stood up quickly. There were no signs of movement on the other side of the gate.
That was a lot easier. She dusted herself off and walked off into the night, slowly increasing her pace. The crowds had subsided, but she could see small fires in the distance, where some were camping overnight.
All they had to do was climb the wall, she thought with a laugh. Quickly weaving through the woods, she found Certan and Alrion seated comfortably leaning against some trees. Alrion had hung a magical light sphere from one of the hanging branches, which illuminated the area nicely.
"You look like you've had a bit of an adventure," Alrion said, looking up from the books he was reading.
"Don't get me started. Next time I consider climbing a city wall, just stop me please," Lara said.
"That's quite an impressive feat. How you did get down?" Certan said.
"With great difficulty and luck. I'll fill you in on all the details but there's two important things. First, there was a Blighter attack in the city. It was due to a Tainted One. He was looking for Alrion and me," Lara said.
"That's not a good sign. What's the other thing? Did you find my parents?" Alrion said.
"Yes, they told me all about the man they discovered. We think the Tainted share some sort of mental link and coordinate their movements that way," Lara said.
"That may explain a lot." Alrion looked deep in thought.
"We need to better understand our enemy," Certan said.
"We have news too," Alrion said.
"What's that?" Lara said with concern. Nothing should have happened while she was away.
"I found another message in this notebook. Take a look." Alrion handed it to Lara to review.
Find Ashra in the desert, he will advise you further.
"Who is Ashra?" Lara said. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she knew what the answer would be.
"I have heard that name before, he's a wizard. Hates visitors, which is why he lives in the desert," Certan said.
"Interesting. Do you know how to find him?" Lara said.
"No, he doesn't like to be found."
"It's a lead right, we will figure it out," Alrion said.
"I wasn't sure what to make of this, but I think it will help.” Lara retrieved the slip of paper the mysterious wizard had given her and handed it to Alrion.
