The Hedge Wizard

Sounds rose in the keep: murmuring voices, heavy footsteps, the hammer of steel and the churning of grind wheels. Great booming voices shouted orders in a language Hump did not understand, while the lesser demons followed with fearful affirmations and nervous mutterings.

From where Hump stood on the walls, he could see it all. A courtyard lay before the keep at the centre of the fort, filled to the brim with orcs and demons. Great blades of black iron were flourished in practice blows, long spears were carried by large battalions, ready to form a wall against the forces of Alveron. Beyond the courtyard and toward the gate, Hump’s stomach twisted at the devastating traps in place. He imagined stepping through the great gate, surrounded on all sides by towering walls as magic and arrows rained down, while at any moment a spike might pierce them through the foot, or an explosion might erupt.

Here lay one of the most concentrated forces of demons there was, and Hump was willingly stepping into the middle of it.

“The gods are with us,” Anara said to them all. “Master your fear this day, for we are doing their work.”

“What are your orders, Marshall?” Marcela asked.

Anara looked over them and let out a heavy sigh. “We take the tower stairs to the ground. Lani, are you able to veil us once more?”

The javelin thrower shook her head. “I fear it would be too dangerous. The beings I spoke of are close. Not only would they be a threat to us, but they may give away our position even if we go undisturbed.”

“Then we will go with Plan B,” Anara said. “Celaine, Len, and Soren will leave ahead of the rest of us and create an opening in the keep wall for us to enter through. The rest of us shall remain in hiding.”

Hump gave Celaine a nervous look. They’d prepared a few options for when they reached the top of the walls, and the huntress was involved in most of them. She was one of their most agile and stealthy members, with an unrivalled ability to detect traps. Len possessed a blessing that erected a barrier that concealed essence, while Soren wielded earth manipulation skills that surpassed even Hump’s. Together, they would be able to get through the stone wall of the keep undetected, but it was still hard to let Celaine go.

They stepped over the bodies of the orcs in the tower and descended the stairwell inside. It was so narrow that they could only proceed in a single file. At the base, they came to a small storage area, stocked full of crates containing a scarce supply of arrows and barrels of water. Hump guessed the demons had redirected the supplies here to where the fighting would most likely be.

Celaine stepped toward the door fearlessly and turned to face them. “Are you ready?” She addressed Len and Soren, who both joined her by the door. “Follow me closely. Do not stray from my side, no matter what you see.”

Around Celaine, the light of the essence stones illuminating the room dimmed. Shadows gathered to them, and she clutched them tightly. Soon, darkness took them, and they faded out of view entirely leaving only a strange patch where light could not reach. Hump only realised they were gone when the door to the outside was once more visible. It closed shut with a gentle click.

Nisha pressed up against Hump’s leg, sensing his nervousness and getting concerned herself. Hump took a deep breath and threw his fear to the River and Waves.

Emotion got wizards killed. There was no place for it on a mission like this. This was their best chance at achieving their objective, that was all that mattered. To get distracted out of fear or worry would only get someone killed.

***

Celaine squeezed the air around her, gripping the darkness with her mind as if it were a cloak. The two Sorcerers brushed against her as she walked, staying as close as physically possible without holding onto her. When the path was clear, she crossed to the other side and pressed her back up against the keep wall.

From there, they stalked to the right, toward the courtyard where the demon army was focusing much of its strength. It went against all sense to get closer to them, but it was the closest of the keep’s four towers, and the one weakness they had to exploit. They moved slowly, stopping and crouching to the ground whenever enemies passed by, drawing her darkness down so that they appeared to be just another part of the shadow of the wall.

It couldn’t have been more than a minute when they reached the tower and Celaine could finally relax a little. A corner was formed where the tower stuck out from the wall and filled with a deep shadow. It was there that they would make their move.

She sensed nothing as Len summoned his barrier around them. It was only when he gave the nod that she realised it was done. After that, Soren got to work. Using his wand, he pressed it against the wall, sliding it through the stone as if it wasn’t there until his arm was in the wall up to his elbow. He pulled it back, revealing a hole to the inside of the keep. It was a narrow hallway inside that seemed to follow the inside of the wall. She saw no enemies within.

Soren continued to work. There were no streaks of essence or glowing bronze like when Hump used his earth magic. Instead, it was as if the wall turned to water. His wand pierced its surface, slipping through it and creating streaks in the stone. Quickly, the wall melted away, the extracted stone flowing out in all directions, becoming solid again on the surrounding section of wall. While not invisible, the layer of stone would require a discerning eye to detect.

It was not long until a person sized doorway was formed, and Soren released his blessing. They were in. Together, the three of them stepped inside.

They were at a corner of the hall, extending in a straight line to their left and directly ahead. Voices came from a room inside, and there was a doorway to the left to the central block of the keep. Celaine guessed that this hallway led around the entire square keep, while all of the barracks and other infrastructure were in the central section.

At her side, Soren got to work reforming the wall. It wasn’t perfect. The stones from before were smoother and more similar in size, but she couldn’t imagine a demon spotting that.

They made their way along the hallway back to where they’d started on the wall. While Celaine and Len kept watch, Soren got to work creating another opening, this time directly opposite the tower where the others were waiting. When he was done, she walked back across the road and opened the door.

“It’s done,” she whispered. “Come quickly.”

They raced across the path in the shadow of her blessing, ducking through the doorway and into the keep. Celaine followed at the rear, casting one last look in both directions to check that nobody had spotted them, then stepping inside.

***

Hump entered the ground floor of the keep, the rest of the squad quickly filing in with him. Essence stones illuminated the corridor in dim light, casting long shadows throughout the room. Hump glanced around, noting the heavy wooden doors leading to the tower stairwells at either end of the hallway. Other doors lined the inner wall, likely leading to the barracks, kitchens, and other essential facilities for the demon force garrisoned here.

A group of orcs emerged from a side room, burdened with crates and sacks. The orcs halted, their eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the intruders. Before they could react, Anara extended a hand toward them. A spark of red light erupted from her hand and a single pink flower blossomed from each of the orcs. Their eyes glazed over, and they resumed their march, oblivious to the presence of Hump and the rest of the squad.

“Lesser demons and monsters will be of no concern to us,” Anara said, her voice calm. “Let us continue. Wizard Humphrey, are you able to better locate the keep’s essence store?”

Hump activated Spirit Sight and looked around. The essence within the structure flowed through the walls and floor like veins of light. Streams of essence wove a complex web throughout the keep, with numerous bright spots where essence stones, artifacts, and gods knew what else were embedded. The densest concentration lay below them, a massive reservoir of magical energy radiating from a chamber that seemed to take up most of the level beneath their feet.

“One floor down, I think,” Hump said. “Looks like it takes up most of the floor. We can probably make a hole and drop through.”

“Better to take the stairs and avoid notice,” Anara said. “With me.”

They pressed forward, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone floor. Hump’s heart raced with the murmur of demons and orcs all around them. The shouts from outside were gone now, but he could still hear the clash of hammers and steel. As they walked, Marian jumped into the air as if she weighed nothing, tapping the roof and leaving a mark of her essence.

“What’s that for?” Hump asked.

“Allows me to scry these areas,” she said. “I can keep a lookout.”

It didn’t take long to find an access point to the lower level. What enemies they encountered along the way, Anara made short work of. In only a minute, they were descending a large staircase to the lower floor, though it was cramped with the full squad packed in close. Celaine and Anara took the lead, while Teft and Falor brought up the rear.

“It should be down here,” Hump said, more certain now that there wasn’t a floor in the way. The air was so rich in essence now, his skin tingled at its presence.

“Stop,” Celaine said, poking her head out into the corridor beyond. “There are six guards—demons from the look of them, and not weak ones. Will your charm work on them, Anara?”

The flower druid joined her on the lower step and looked out. “Yes, but not before they have a chance to act.” She rubbed her chin. “We will need to kill them.”

Hump looked as well. The corridor of this floor was identical to the one above, forming a square around the room at the centre. There was only one door now though, directly at the centre of the hallway. This one was made of metal, and even at a distance Hump could sense the runes at work on it. All along the wall, spidery runes like those he’d seen on the outside of the fort were engraved, creating a beautiful pattern of spell formations. This was perhaps the most well defended room Hump had ever seen, and that was counting the vault on the Daston estate.

Six guards stood before the door. Five of them were large demons, their skin was a dark red, with brown scales formed in patches across their body. They wore shining armour, and carried steel clubs where the entire length was covered in sharpened spikes. The sixth and leader of the group was a head higher than all the others and leant against a two-sided axe. A single horn sprouted from one side of its head, curving upward to a point.

“Don’t kill all of them,” he whispered. “We’re going to need one to access the chamber of magic.”

They would take the enemy out through archery. Celaine, Faelor, Teff, Garris, and Lani all prepared to take out one target, while Anara would take out the last. Hump was ready with his staff in case anyone failed.

“How are things looking?” Anara asked.

Marian clasped her hands and then pulled them apart, the space between tearing apart to reveal a window. Within, Hump saw the floor above from a number of different viewpoints, tinted by the purple of her essence.

“All clear,” Marian said.

Anara nodded. “Len.”

The barrier Sorcerer called upon his blessing, the air shivering for a moment before becoming still once more. With it, their essence would be hidden.

“On my command,” Anara said. “Ready.” A tense second passed. Hump held his breath, eyes fixed on Celaine and the other archers as they took aim with their arrows and javelins. “Now.”

The twang of bowstrings snapped in the air. Garris’ crossbow clicked and thwacked. Arrows and javelins hissed as they shot forward, followed by five simultaneous thuds. The enemy died silently. It was a terrifying sight—five Chosen hunters and archers, all of them so deadly that a target would die before they realised it. One moment, life, the next… nothing.

With the enemy down, they flooded into the room.

Anara strode ahead, her presence commanding and serene as essence rose from her in a radiant aura that caused the air to shimmer like a thousand petals glimmering in a gentle breeze. In a graceful gesture, she stretched out her hand, chanting softly in a melodic voice, each word a note of ethereal beauty. Hump felt a sense of peace wash over him as her voice filled the hall. The demon, entranced and powerless, stood motionless, its weapon hanging limply at its side, utterly subdued. Anara stepped close, plucking a flower from the air and threading it behind the creature’s ear. With that, her chant came to an end.

“It is done,” she said. “Open the door to the chamber.” Intent filled her command, and the demon followed it without pause.

The demon took the handle in its hand and the entire door lit up with essence, the formation upon it glowing with red light. There was a click as it turned the handle. The light faded from the door, and once more they stood in the gloom of the corridor. With a push, the door swung open, revealing a large chamber filled with runecraft. Hump’s eyes widened at the intricate network of runes etched along the walls, pulsing with soft light and casting the room in an ethereal glow. Tables and workbenches were scattered through, ladened with spell components, intricate artifacts, and essence stones that brimmed energy.

In the centre of the room, a massive essence stone pulsed with the same rhythmic light, its surface inscribed with a complex formation of spidery runes, shifting as if it were a living entity. Around it, floating in mid-air, were smaller stones with similar spell formations. Channels of pure essence connected them in streaks of bright light, each of them a different affinity. The very air felt charged with raw power.

Suddenly, Hump sensed essence stir to the left. A chill ran down Hump’s spine as he looked up sharply, peering farther down the hallway. He raised his weapon, essence ready, a spell already on his lips. Around him, his allies did the same. Figures moved ahead but it was too dark to make them out.

“Wait!” Celaine said before they could strike. “It is Marshall Merrick and his squad. Lower your weapons.”

Stepping out of the dim corridor, the second squad approached. It was smaller than Hump expected, with only eleven people amongst them. They were battered and bloodied, their armour stained with dirt and marred by battle. Hump grinned nonetheless. Their allies had arrived.