Chapter FIVE




Everyone in the caravan was standing around, illuminated by the campfire. A few of them were still finishing off some bits of food from the meal, but all eyes were on Alithana. “In every individual, magic finds unique ways to manifest itself. Everyone specializes in the aspects they find kinship with, and in my case that is with shadows and night.” She pauses, choosing her words carefully, “What you saw in that field was merely an illusion. The bandits escaped unharmed, but they will be reluctant to come after us again.”

As she finishes the statement, Jothal takes a puff from his pipe as he leaned against a nearby tree with his hood up. After a few moments of silence, one of the caravaners responds, “If that was a mere illusion, then I don't know what's real anymore. I honestly believed they would be dragged down into that pit...”

Gregor speaks as well, “Aye, yet they managed to escape safely, and the pit vanished without a trace. I just hope I will never be on the receiving end of such magic.” Turning to Alithana, he continues, “Do you possess other abilities we should be aware of, or enemies we should be cautious about?”

After a moment, Alithana says, “My abilities reside with the shadows, and aside from illusions I have little outside hand-to-hand combat. I do have a strong sense of magic and can feel its ebb and flow, letting me determine when other mages are using spells, as the magic is pulled around them while they conjure their abilities.

“The Elders will be reluctant to allow me to do as I must, and they will send others after me. I doubt they would send a large force, as they wish to avoid interaction with humans as much as possible. They will try to persuade me to return first, and if that fails will resort to force. I am prepared for such, and if we do encounter another Elf I would urge all of you to avoid the battlefield.”

Gregor looks around at everyone and after a moment says, “It is getting late, and we will continue toward Nalvo at first-light. Get some rest, everyone. I'll take the first watch.”

Everyone seems a bit reluctant, but they concede and begin moving away. A few volunteer for other watches. Several caravaners choose to sleep near to the fire, as others climb into the wagons. Alithana finds a spot near the back of the wagon closest to the road itself. Keeping her staff close, she knows she will need all the energy she can conserve in the event of being found by another Elf. They wouldn’t just send any ordinary Elves to search for her.


Alithana’s eyes open quickly, but she stays unmoving. She listened intently. There was the unmistakable sound of an approaching horse. It was faint and in the distance, but whoever it was was pushing that horse to a gallop.

After a few seconds, several of the caravaners around the campfire began moving. Whoever was on watch right now was alerting some of the others about the rider. They were gathering near the edge of the wagon she was in, ready to jump out toward the road if the rider was hostile.

Alithana stood and moved toward the rear of the wagon, sticking to the shadows but getting a view on the approach the rider would take. The rider suddenly slows from a gallop to a trot as he nears, and he finally comes into view for Alithana. She relaxes a bit after recognizing the person: it was Trailo, the son of the cleric Vicril.

He continues approaching the camp, but after he gets a bit closer he recognizes one of the caravaners outside at the edge of the wagon and after breathing a sigh of relief he says a single word, “Hi.”

The one he recognized stands a bit and speaks to the other caravaners that were also ready to jump out from behind the wagon, reassuring them that there is no trouble. Alithana recognizes it as Jothal’s voice, and a moment later he speaks, “Trailo, it's good to see you again. What are you doing wandering so late at night?”

Trailo approached closer and began explaining, “After you left, 3 people came knocking on the door, looking for Alithana and threatening our lives. They knocked us out before leaving. As soon as I woke up, I raced here as fast as I could, and about 400 yards back, one of those same three bandits was trying to block the road, and I barely got past him. I have no idea how many others there are.”

Jothal responded after a moment, “So they're only 400 yards away? We need to warn Alithana and Gregor then, before those bandits stumble into us again.” From around the corner of the wagon, Jothal turned to face into the wagon.

As he did so, Alithana stepped from the shadows and spoke, “After what happened in that clearing, I'm quite surprised that they're still following us... Nonetheless, they know that they've been discovered now. They would either attack us immediately before we could prepare, or wait until another opportunity, and since Ash hasn't smelled them yet, it looks like they're going to wait.”

Jothal nodded. “Very well, if you don't think they'll attack then that gives us another day to prepare for them.” Jothal then turned to Trailo, “It's nice to have you back though, Trailo. In the morning, we should catch up on your journey since we left you.”

Trailo slumped a bit in his saddle, seemingly exhausted from riding all night. “Sleep sounds pretty good right about now.” Two of the other caravaners headed over and began to help him down from his horse.

As this was going on, Alithana stepped down from the wagon. “They may not attack, but we should know what we're up against. I'll go scout the area and see what we're dealing with.”

Turning away from Trailo, Jothal replied, “Alright. If you need help, Ash and I can follow you. Otherwise, I'll keep the caravaners safe here until you return.”

She nodded. “Stay here, and find out anything else that Trailo might know.” She turned and began heading south alongside the road.


“It is time,” Tranan said to Jorin, waking him. “We have an hour until sunrise. Wake the others.” As Jorin was doing so, Tranan began heading out to begin preparing the wagons and horses. There were a dozen people leaving on this expedition: Tranan, five of his students, and six knights as escort.

They would bring two wagons with them, which would give them enough extra space for the knights to rest their horses. Tranan wanted to make it to Gellantara in six days at the latest, and to make that time the knights would need to take shifts. Otherwise, with the knights in full arms and armor, the horses would tire well before they reached the port.

In short time, everything was in order and they left the Mages Guild behind, headed straight for the northeastern gate of the city. By the time they reached it, the sun was on the verge of rising. All of the knights were already at the gate, waiting. Once they reached the gate, Tranan stepped down from the wagon and spoke, "We've got enough supplies for everyone until Gellantara, where we will restock. There is room in one of the wagons so half of you can alternate days to prevent your horses from tiring out. It’s six days to Gellantara. Is everyone ready to set out?"

The knights worked out amongst themselves who was going to be in each group. Once decided, the second group tied their horses to the trailing wagon and then pulled themselves up into it. The sun was partially visible now, and the group was ready to leave the city.

However, the gate was still closed. Normally it opens at sunrise each day, but for some reason they had not yet opened it. After a few moments, a knight in the first group approached one of the gate guardsmen and asked about it. The guardsman, after a moment, simply says, "That." He pointed down the road leading toward the center of the city. He said this loud enough for nearly everyone to hear, and they all turned to look down the road.

Approaching the group was the unmistakable figure of Lord Davben atop his steed, flanked by a retinue of his Elite Guard and a few other individuals. Processions like this aren’t unheard of, but Tranan swallowed hard seeing the lord headed straight toward his group.

Tranan and the others in the wagons slowly stepped down onto the ground, confused at the situation, and the knights dismounted from their horses. As Lord Davben got closer, everyone kneeled to the ground. He stopped his horse about 10 yards away from the nearest person and spoke, "Who among you is orchestrating this venture?"

Tranan replied, "My lord, I am Archmage Tranan Chandler of the Mages Guild. I am the one leading this field research endeavor."


Lord Davben looked over everyone and then continued, "From what I have heard, this expedition went from a simple concept to you all standing before the city gates in mere days, and this timing has caught my attention. If you would be so kind as to satisfy my curiosity then we can both be about our day, Archmage."

"Of course, my lord. At the Mages Guild, I have a very specific field of study, something known as the magical aura. In my study, I detected a disturbance in the aura and wished to investigate, but to do so I must leave the city and go to a place where other magics will not interfere. The area around Triln, due to the Mages Guild being here for centuries, is satiated with magical energies, and I am unable to determine the cause of the instability within the aura. As such, I set up this endeavor. Our goals are purely academic, my lord."

The lord considered this for a moment, and then spoke again, "And where in this lies the urgency to spur it into action so quickly?"

Tranan answered, "I fear that if the cause of the instability is not corrected, it may negatively affect all magic uses in unpredictable ways, and if left unchecked could lead to magic becoming uncontrollable and dangerous for the city as a whole."

Lord Davben's eyes widened a bit at this, and he looked to his left, where his son Adolin was alongside him. Adolin looked around at the knights and mages and then said, "Archmage Tranan, if the city was potentially in such danger, why was it not immediately brought up to my father?"

Tranan responded after a moment, "I do not believe that the city is in any immediate danger. It could take months or even years before any effects are seen from this, but I cannot tell for certain without getting away from the interference around the city. I did not think it worth your time to hear of a single man's thoughts that haven't even been verified yet, and are mostly theories at this point. Once we return from Tarmikos, we shall immediately explain our findings in full."

Adolin turned back toward his father, who spoke once more, "You said you were headed for Tarmikos. That's quite a distance away. How long is this venture expected to last?"

The Archmage responded, "We plan to spend about three weeks in Tarmikos before heading back, meaning we would return to Triln in about six weeks. If we make an important find earlier, we may send a messenger immediately, or leave early, to ensure you are informed as fast as possible, my lord."

Lord Davben looked over the gathering once more before speaking. "I will be expecting the full details when you return. You are all free to go." The lord and his retinue all turn and head back toward the Citadel.

Tranan breathed a sigh of relief, as did several others around him. The tension in the air dispersed, and they prepared to leave. The gate was already being opened, and a moment later Tranan guided the wagons out the gate.




TO BE CONTINUED...