War of the Wisps

They spent the night in Belmont. Lord Richard gave them a small suite of rooms, along with a meal. The brothers stayed up a few hours, discussing the exact route they’d want to try and take. Anna looked at the map, wondering if she could help, then realized most of their discussion revolved around convincing Jarnvaror to land places that would make good camping spots, or how they would handle the dragon’s hunting time. So she turned in a little early.

In the morning, Richard met them at the gate and offered supplies for the journey. The boys’ mother had packed as much as they could carry. Not wanting to fly through such cold again, though, Anna asked if they could spare an extra coat for the flight. “I’d not considered that,” the lord said, sending Edwin to fetch new coats for all three of the fliers. “Flight must feel like facing down winds on a mountain top.”

“You could say that,” Anna replied.

Lord Richard smiled. “Well, I’m glad I can offer you all something. I hope your journey is comfortable. You all may be our best lead in discovering what is going on with the wisps.” He didn’t look away from Anna as he spoke. She shifted under his gaze. She wondered if he really thought she was under Halcyon’s control.

Edwin returned with her new gear. The servant hesitated before bringing it to her, then stepped away as soon as it was in her grasp. He didn’t meet her gaze. “I’m afraid that’s the only coat I could find in your size,” he said. Anna put it on, and found that it was a boys jacket. It was long on her, a little tight around the chest, and too loose everywhere else. But it was warm, and hopefully it would stay that way.

“Thank you,” Anna said. The servant nodded and backed away.

“Got everything loaded back up,” Peter called from the dragon’s back. “And Jarn is ready.”

“Best not to keep the dragon waiting then,” Lord Richard called. He turned to include Anna and Andrew. “Good luck to all of you, and Godspeed.” He stepped back, and both of the travelers clambered up onto the dragon’s back. Jarnvaror spread his wings and leapt into the sky.

They flew south for a little while, staying close to the mountains. Without being able to check the map in flight, or having access to any other landmarks, the brothers had decided that they should head south until they reached the Jet River, then turn east toward the capital. The dragon took several breaks, one every two or three hours. It was a good opportunity for the riders to stretch and rest. Then it was back in the saddle. They reached the Jet river at the end of the day.

From the sky, Anna was able to see the sheen of the river winding down the mountain, like a thin silver thread. Only when they landed was she able to see it was a nightmare of whitewater, twisting around boulders and tumbling down the mountain with a roar. In most places, trees grew right up to the water’s edge, but the dragon had managed to touch down on a rocky bank. They were near enough to hear the great roar of a waterfall, though it wouldn’t drown out their own voices.

“We’re sleeping here?” Anna asked, looking at the rocks.

Andrew shook his head. “We’ll be moving into the brush and setting up some sheds to sleep in,” he said.

“Sheds?” Anna sputtered.

“Don’t worry,” Peter said “We’ve done it before. It’s not that hard. And we’ll want to do a good job of it too,” he added. “Jarn says he’s hungry, so we may be here the whole day tomorrow.”

“Are you sure he can’t hunt now and sleep it off over night?” Anna asked.

Peter shrugged. “He might try that, but I can’t rush him.”

“Ask him anyway,” Andrew said. “Either way, though this clearing will probably have to be our meeting place with him.”

“Right,” Peter said, then he turned to the dragon.

Anna followed Andrew into the trees carrying as much of their camping gear as she could, though it wasn’t that much. “What can I do to help set up camp?” Anna asked.

“Have you made a shed before?” Andrew asked. Anna shook her head. “It’s not too difficult. Watch here…” Andrew took out some stakes and rope and rigged them around a pair of trees next to a small patch of clear ground. Then he took the tarp and added it in, where it formed a neat tent.

“That’s a shed?” Anna asked.

“That’s what Pa has always called them,” Andrew said.

“We just call them tents.”

Andrew shrugged. “Think you can set your own up?”

Anna looked at the tarp and ropes. It was different than the tents her family had used when they’d been above ground. If anything, it looked simpler. “I’ll give it a go.”

“Then I’ll work on making a fire pit.”

Andrew stepped back and began clearing the dead brush from the ground some ways from the small trees. Anna examined the Shed for a moment, then moved to another pair of trees that were closer together and began trying to arrange the ropes around the tree’s in the same way Andrew had. She was working on that when Peter returned. The younger boy grabbed the last tarp and began rigging his own on another pair of trees and was done within a few moments. “Need help?” he asked.

“I think I’ve got it,” Anna said, trying to pull the tarp into place. She tugged on the corner, and one of her ropes came undone. She groaned, seeing the mess of gear piled up on the forest floor. “What happened?” she muttered.

“I can fix that,” Peter said, stepping in. Anna backed away and watched the boy take less than a minute to fix the whole tent. “And there we go,” he said.

“Thanks,” Anna said.

“Don’t mention it.”

“So what did Jarnvaror say? Will he be ready to head out in the morning?”

Peter shrugged. “He’ll fly around to look for a bit, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”

“I see,” Anna said. Then she frowned. “Did you just leave that giant saddle on Jarmvaror?”

“Yeah,” Peter said.

“Won’t that give him sores?”

“It’s fine. I asked him and he said not to bother. Besides, we have no where to put it to keep bugs from getting into it, and those would be more annoying than sores.”

“Alright then,” Anna said. “What do we do in the mean time. If we are here an extra day, I mean.”

Peter shrugged. “Not sure. Hike south a bit? Save us an hour or two flying.”

Anna didn’t reply to that. A whole day of walking would only save a few hours of flight. Maybe it would be better to just take the day and prepare for meeting the Archmage. She found herself rubbing the bracelet around her wrist. She didn’t feel any different. But would she know if Halcyon was taking over? He was so different from the other Wisps, she couldn’t be sure.

Shaking her head she looked over to Andrew, where the older boy was busy arranging stones around his clear patch of dirt. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

“We should all get a bit of firewood,” Andrew replied. “Make sure we have a bit more than we need.”

“Sure,” Peter said. He was off in a moment, scouring the brush for branches. A moment later, Anna turned to do likewise. She brought a few small stacks of broken sticks and twigs back over the next ten minutes, and added them to a pile that seemed to double in size whenever she looked away. At the end, it was just over half her height.

“Think this is enough?” Peter said, adding another bundle branches to the pile.

“For now,” Andrew said.

“Won’t this last the entire night?” Anna asked.

A chuckle escaped Andrew. “Maybe an hour or two,” he said. “This is enough for dinner, but if its all we’re finding, we’ll need a lot to burn through the night.”

“Oh,” Anna said.

“Nothing to be worried about,” Peter said. “I think it’s warmer down here than it was in the valley. We should be fine with just the blankets.”

“Yeah,” Anna said. “So what now?”

“Now,” Andrew said, rummaging through the main pack, “I’ll make us some dinner.”

“What are we having?” Peter asked. In response, Andrew revealed several strips of dried meat, and gestured to the pot.

“The only thing we can really make right now,” he said. “Beef and broth.”

Anna sat down and watched Andrew slice up the meat. He had Peter fetch water for the pot while he set up a spit to hang the pot over and let the meal cook. The meat had already been salted, and the smell filled the clearing while it boiled. Andrew filled each of their bowls with the soup.

Despite how plain the food was, Peter wolfed the whole thing down. Anna took her time, barely tasting the food as her mind drifted off to the south.

“What do you think the Archmage will be like?” Anna asked, thinking aloud.

Andrew shrugged. “No idea. Never met a real mage before.”

“Aren’t there any in the Iron Valley?” Anna asked.

Both boys shook their heads. “Not as far as we know,” Andrew said.

“’Cept the court mages,” Peter added through a mouthful of broth. “We met them the first time we went to Belmont. Kind of stuffy. Think the Archmage will be like that?”

“It’s not like being stuffy is a requirement for using magic,” Anna noted.

Peter grinned. “If it was, Andrew would be Archmage,” he said. Andrew glared at him.

“The last mage I talked to said most people can learn at least a little magic,” Anna went on. “Said that the reason people don’t is just because it’s a lot of effort for not much gain unless you’re especially good right off the bat.”

The boys turned to Anna. “You’ve met mages?” Peter asked.

“A few,” Anna said. “While off trading with my father.”

“Do you know magic, then?” Andrew asked. “Other than… well…”

“I don’t think I’m doing anything magical with the wisps,” Anna said. “They do all that on their own. But no. I’ve never tried using magic myself. I asked the first mage I met when I was little about it, but we had to move on right after that.”

“Who was he?” Peter asked.

“An old Dwarf,” Anna said. “Most of the mages I’ve met are Dwarves. I met one human mage who was a guard on another trading caravan. But I’ve never met any Elvish mages.”

“That’s right,” Andrew muttered. “The Archmage is an Elf, isn’t he?”

“Wait, how do you know that?” Peter asked.

“The Eogain’s are an Elvish family,” Anna said.

“Ah,” Peter said. “Well, I guess it really will be a surprise, then.”

Anna nodded. She drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

“Are you doing alright?” Andrew asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Anna said. “I just wish we were already there, and I didn’t have to worry about how much the wisps are affecting me.”

“No need to worry,” Peter said. “You’re not doing any of the weird things Sir Charles was. Besides, Halcyon is weird in a good way.”

“Weird in a good way?” Anna asked.

“He’s trying to talk, isn’t he? And he’s not throwing a tantrum like most of the others. Weird in a good way.”

“A tantrum?” Anna found herself laughing at that. “I guess so. Thanks, Peter.” Silence came over the group as the night set in, replaced by the sounds of the forest. A light breeze blew through the branches overhead, and there were little rustlings in the brush nearby.

“Wait, what is that?” Andrew said, looking out toward the rustling.

Anna blinked as both brothers stood, facing the noise. “There’s more than one,” Peter said.

“What are you talking about?” Anna asked. Then she saw a figure appear out of the shadows on the other side of the clearing. The dim firelight made everything about him look black or red, but it didn’t obscure the longbow he’d raised and pointed at the young men. Several other cloaked figures emerged from the forest, all armed with swords, bows, or axes.

“I was worried we’d have a bit of a fire in my forest,” said the figure with the bow. “What are you brats doing here?”

“We’re on our way to see Archemage Sol Eogain in Woadrok,” Peter said.

“Let me do the talking,” Andrew hissed under his breath. But the bowman chuckled at that.

“Oh yes. On your way to Woadrok by trekking through the wilderness so close to our hideout? That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it boys?” Now the others started to laugh as well.

“Hideout?” Peter asked. Anna just felt cold.

“Yeah. Gotta have a hide out. It’s where we’ll be keeping your stuff once you hand it over!”