Chapter 3: The Messenger's Burden

Kael's instincts had proven right, Edric had already collapsed by the time he caught up to him. Initially, Kael feared he might lose track of the old mage; he had strayed far from their original path in his desperation. But much like Lyra before him, Edric had begun to leave a trail of blood. To Kael's keen eyes, the tiny, mana-rich droplets might as well have been beacons in the night, guiding him directly to the old mage. As he stealthily approached Edric it was obvious that he was barely holding on.

'They must have received a far larger dose than the mage from Bindleburg,' Kael mused, perplexed by the rapid deterioration of both Lyra and now Edric. Despite the old mage's weakened state, Kael knew better than to lower his guard. With practiced ease, he unfurled his cloak and draped it over himself. Then, with the patience of a seasoned hunter, he began to close the distance. Each step was carefully placed, his movements so fluid that not a single blade of grass or grain of sand betrayed his approach.

The deed was swift and silent. As the life faded from Edric's eyes, Kael's attention turned to the old mage's possessions.

Unlike Lyra's meager possessions, Edric's compression bag was a treasure trove. At first glance, it seemed to overflow with miscellaneous items, but Kael's discerning eye soon picked out several valuable artifacts among the clutter. The urge to grab the bag and run grew with each glittering object he spotted, but Kael valued his life far too much to loot a mage wantonly. Looting a mage, especially one that belonged to a tower, was a risk Kael refused to take.

The Luminous Peak Tower, while not the most renowned, still commanded respect in the world of magic. Kael knew that anything of value in Edric's possession would be claimed by the tower upon his death. Merely being caught with one of the mage's items would warrant death. There was also the risk of magical trackers hidden among the belongings. Taking the man's coin and perhaps a pinch or two of tea leaves was as far as Kael was willing to push his luck.

After securing his modest payment, Kael initially began to set up camp. However, he soon thought better of it. While he had slept beside battlefields before, there was no compelling reason to do so now. Kael harbored no ill will towards Edric; the mage had been, on the whole, better than most mages. He hadn't tried to burden Kael with unreasonable tasks and even had the promised coin on hand. Weighing his options, Kael decided to backtrack to the trail and make camp there. It was only two furlongs at most, a small price to pay for a night's tranquility and a little distance from his grim handiwork.

***

Kael was lazily drifting in and out of sleep, sprawled in a sun-strewn grass field, savoring the cool morning breeze when he was jolted awake by an unfamiliar sound. It was unlike anything he had ever encountered before. The noise resembled an unrelenting series of waves slamming against jagged cliffs, yet somehow even more aggressive and unnaturally rhythmic.

In the next moment, Kael crouched low and pressed his long frame into a dense stand of bushes, their wiry branches scratching against his weathered hands as he eliminated any chance of being silhouetted. Instinctively, he drew a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, filling his lungs with the dry, dusty scent of sun-baked leaves. He stealthily peered out from between the gnarled stems, straining both his eyes and ears towards the unfamiliar sound. Kael's mana reactively seeped into his cloak, the fabric seeming to absorb his very essence. Within seconds, he was indistinguishable from the parched, gray-green foliage surrounding him.

“What in Thulsa Doom is that?” The words escaped Kael's lips unbidden, his impeccable composure cracking for a fleeting instant.

It’s hardly a surprise though, a super huey is an astonishing sight in a world yet unshaped by the discovery of electricity.

***

Kael's mind raced back to a time when he was much younger, when he still had people he called companions. He and his squad were fleeing from a horde of Sylvids in the depths of one of the tropical forests found in the north. The underbrush and foliage were so thick that sunlight barely penetrated to the forest floor, making their escape a nightmarish challenge. They were being attacked from every possible angle in the middle of the enemy’s territory. It was the worst possible situation.

The only brief respites from the terrifying pursuit came when one of his companions fell behind, never to be seen again. Kael knew he was reaching his breaking point when he began to look forward to those screams, knowing his bloodied feet could get just a few precious moments of rest. But then he had to run again. It was all he could do. It became his entire world.

The most chilling part was when it grew so quiet he could hear nothing but his own lungs threatening to burst from his chest. Though Sylvids were small and less intelligent individually, their telepathic abilities made them unpredictable and dangerous in large numbers. One hundred more could appear without warning, swinging and scrambling through the forest in eerie silence. Their movements were impossible to anticipate, and the quiet pursuit of hundreds of tiny monsters was deeply unsettling.

When Kael finally broke free from the forest and collapsed, his last conscious thought was the realization that nothing pursued him anymore. The forest behind him was still. No predators, but also no companions.

Now, years later, Kael found himself running with a similar cadence once more, this time towards Brindleburg. His mind was in turmoil, struggling to process what he had just witnessed. The unsettling pale skin of those people and their inexplicable actions with Edric's corpse left him speechless.

He sprinted the entire way, only breaking his stride to vault over rocks or hurdle fallen trees. His destination was Magus Nuel's home. He needed to retrieve some supplies he'd left behind, but more importantly, he desperately needed to talk to someone to clear his mind. The old mage was his closest option.

He resolved to tell Nuel exactly what he had seen. If the mage reported Edric and Lyra’s deaths, Kael would be free to flee as far from this area as possible. He had a sinking feeling that Brindleburg and the high plains of the east were only going to grow more perilous with time.

***

It had been nearly an hour past his usual waking time when Martha finally checked on her master, Magus Nuel. Just from the color of his skin she could tell that he had passed. She collapsed, clutching on to the old man while she sobbed. She had known what was coming for several weeks now, but she still collapsed under the crushing weight of loss. It was impossible to prepare for the loss of a loved one.

She did not have the luxury of time to mourn though. Since her master was the member of a tower she would have to get word of his passing to them as soon as possible. Even though she was the closest thing that Magus Nuel had to family, she would not have rights to anything that she could not prove she purchased with her own money. Technically, all of his property was owned by the tower. A tactic that essentially every magic tower employed. Resources belonged in the hands of those that could actually wield them.

As Nuel’s only employee it would be her responsibility to get news of his passing to the tower. This was news that she would be expected to deliver in person. Martha finally calmed herself and started doing what needed to be done.

After preparing two horses and some supplies for the two-week journey, Martha dropped by the mayor's office to request soldiers to watch the property while she would be gone. To her dismay, the mayor said he would have two men there the next morning, removing any excuse she might have for delaying the innevitable. As a mudborne servant, there was a very real chance she would never be able to leave the tower once she entered, especially if she caught some mage's eye. It might have been the first time she was truly grateful for her aging appearance.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

It was fortunate that there were many tasks for her to do, in a way. It helped to keep her mind occupied and block the pain between the pangs of grief.

***

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Martha woke in a panic. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. It took her a few moments to realize she had apparently fallen asleep at her master's desk.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

The knocks were getting progressively louder. Had it been a typical night, she would have sought out the old mage expecting trouble at the door, but tonight all she could do was ignore it or answer it herself.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Apparently, ignoring it was not an option. Martha was still dressed, so she bolted directly to the door. The knocking came to a halt when her footsteps began echoing down the hallway towards the door. Instead, she heard a voice.

"Magus Nuel, this is the tracker from Edric's party! There has been an emergency! I need your help! Please op..."

When Martha heard that, she instantly thought of a shrouded man. For some reason, Martha had difficulty recalling the name or face of the tracker; she wasn't sure if it was from being startled awake or the other events of the day, but it was definitely atypical.

At first, she was uncertain if she should open the door. She did not know what to think of the man; he was far more enigmatic than either of the mages were to her. Maybe it was because of her familiarity with mages, but the tracker had left a more intimidating impression on her than all but a few of the more notorious mages had.

After a moment of accelerated thinking she realized that it was very doubtful he had malicious intent or he would have just snuck in. There was little doubt in her mind that some flimsy locks would do anything to stop a man with that kind of aura.

When Martha opened the door, all she could see was darkness. Despite the full moon, there were still many corners for shadows to hide in. After peering around for what seemed like an eternity, she finally recognized movements from just a few feet directly in front of her. She was taken off guard once again by the man and screamed as she leapt backwards. His ability to cloak himself in the darkness was a skill even the best mages would covet.

When she regained her composure, she noticed the man had let himself inside and was already lighting one of the candles in the entrance hall. With some light, she finally noticed the shape of the tracker. He was absolutely drenched in sweat. His face was flushed crimson, he was covered in scratches, burrs, and thistles, and looked like he was about to collapse. Compared to the stern, strong demeanor he exuded just a few nights past, he was a completely different man. It took only a few moments for her natural habits to kick in.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright? I will be right back. I am going to fetch some water and food." Martha didn't wait for a response and ran back towards the pantry to grab some jerky.

***

Kael was pounding on the door. For some reason, he felt like something was amiss. At first, he thought that it was just his paranoia warning him against stopping, screaming at him to continue running west until he reached the ocean. After another minute of slamming on the door, he slowly began to realize that was not the case though. There was something wrong. Despite the meager amount of mana he had access to, he had an uncanny sensitivity to it, and it was telling him that something was missing.

He finally heard footsteps hurrying through the hallway towards the door. Had he been less exhausted, less complacent, and generally in a better state of mind, he would have realized the old mage was in no shape to run, but he was just relieved to get a response at the time.

When the door finally swung open, he was shocked to see the servant lady the old man had been trying to pawn off to Edric at the door.

'Why would she answer the door at this hour?'

After a few moments of stunned silence, he gathered himself and began to walk towards the open door, startling the living daylights out of Martha. He had run out of mana to power his cloak long ago, but his natural mannerisms and abilities still made him more elusive than any human should be.

As the woman screamed and tripped over her feet, stumbling backwards, Kael regathered his wits and stepped inside to light a candle. The light would help calm the lady down; this was a reaction he had become accustomed to over the years.

It worked. And a little too well. She ran off before he even had a chance to announce his situation.

Martha eventually returned with a flask of water and a plate with some bread and dried meat on it. Kael did not hesitate to tear in, giving her the first chance to talk.

"Master Nuel passed away last night." Tears began to once again slide down Martha's cheeks. A hiccough escaped from her throat as she continued, "I don't know what kind of emergency is going on, but I won't be able to help. I don't have any power now that my master has passed." She once again sobbed as she barely got her last thought out, "You are going to have to talk to the mayor or the commander of the guard."

Kael stopped eating the second he processed what he had just heard. He was taken aback. He finally realized what his senses had been telling him all along; he had been too flustered to realize it. A failure on his part, and the kind that would get you killed in different circumstances. He made yet another mental note to review what had transpired that day and all of the mistakes he had made. In a world as unforgiving as this one, you could never afford to make the same mistake twice.

“Fucking shit.” Kael had spent nearly 14 hours hoping for nothing more than to see Nuel’s wrinkly old face. A face he would never see again. “Edric and Lyra died as well. The same thing that is going around town got them. I came here to tell your master so he could tell the tower.”

Martha processed the news remarkably quickly, her eyes shooting wide open. “But. How is that possible? They were both so healthy.” After a few seconds of silence she continued, “I am heading to Falkrik tomorrow morning to tell the tower about Master Nuel’s death. You need to come with me.”

“Actually, you are much faster than I am and you have a much better chance of finishing the journey. You need to report the deaths immediately or when they hunt for somebody to blame they will find you. All of them belonged to the Luminous Peak. That is where I was preparing to head for tomorrow morning. I will get you the letter the doctor provided about my master’s death along with the journal of his findings… It should help keep you safe if you come with news about the ‘Cancer’.”

Kael understood her intentions and appreciated it. Even if Edric and Lyra's deaths were not his fault, he would get at least some amount of the blame leveled on him by the tower. It was the nature of the powerful to extort the weak. But if this cancer research were as important as the two mages believed it to be, it might help to placate their moods.

The more Kael thought about it the more he began to internally fume. He did not have another option unless he wanted to run north and abandon the Southern Kingdom entirely.

“I have two horses prepared for the journey that you can take. They belong to the tower though so you will have to leave them in Falkrik.” Martha felt bad for the man, but she was honestly just happy she would not have to go herself.

“No need, I can get there faster alone.” As he made the statement the pain in his quads and calves once again assaulted him. “Can I sleep here for the night though? I need some rest before I leave.”

As Martha led him down the hallway Kael finally began to collect himself, finally noticing his surroundings. His honed senses and reasoning finally returned. “Martha, just because I am going to Falkrik doesn’t mean you can stay here. You still need to take those horses and leave tomorrow just like you planned. Nobody is going to care about two old horses.” Kael assured the older woman when he saw a look of concern in her eyes.

“I will get the journal to the tower and if anything happens to the house, the mayor is a much bigger fish than you, nobody will come looking for you as long as you don’t do anything to deserve it.” Kael positioned himself directly in front of her, making sure she was paying attention before he said the final part, “Staying here is not safe. Not for you, not for me, not for anyone. I cannot tell you what I saw, but it has me a lot more worried than reporting Edric’s death.”

He grabbed her by the elbow and tried to comfort her. Something that did not come naturally to him. “Hey, it is what he would want.” It was hard not to respect a loyal servant, “He really cared for you. It was obvious. He would want you to worry about your own safety.” Kael reached into his compression bag and pulled out the bag of coins he found on Edric, handing it towards Martha.

“Thank you, but I have plenty of coins. More coins than I can easily carry.” For the first time that day Martha smiled. “You are right, he did care for me. As did I for him.”