“I think we need another plan,” Anaya whispered, crouched down with Brugo at the edge of the forest.
At first, their biggest concern was what to do with Osric so they could head into town. But while they were standing there discussing the wolf, Anaya caught sight of the growing mass high over head. It was gold and silver, coiling in on itself in a voluminous spiral of clouds. From it sprang dozens of beams of light, arcing out in every direction. And then, as she stared, another beam of light burst from the top of the mage tower and cut across the sky to meet up with the others.
They were still trying to make sense of this when the people of Yaal started appearing in the road. They pushed through the city gates in larger and larger crowds, turning their heads skyward and staring with equal astonishment.
Quietly, Anaya and Brugo retreated into the forest, knowing they didn’t want to be spotted during whatever this was.
“They’re distracted,” Brugo said. “We can probably move through the city without being noticed.”
Anaya shook her head. “Maybe you and I can, but I still think Osric here is going to be a problem. And I’m starting to think we shouldn’t just go waltzing in there with that sword either.”
“What are you suggesting?” he asked, a bit more defensive than usual.
Anaya quirked a brow at him, but didn’t draw attention to it. Still, she made a note of his tone. Harpyn had started talking differently when he had the sword too.
“Why don’t we leave the sword here? We can bury it near one of these trees maybe? Or find a hole in a stump. And Osric can guard it for us. Right, Osric?”
She turned to the wolf, hoping he would give her some kind of sign that he understood. He pawed at the ground, and she took that as a yes.
“Why just the sword? What about your rods?” Brugo asked.
It was Anaya’s turn to feel defensive. She loathed the idea of giving up her rods, even if she knew they’d be guarded. After all she’d been through, she was terrified of losing them again.
Brugo crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her, waiting for an answer. When she realized she didn’t have a good one, she sighed in defeat.
“My rods too. We will leave them here and go straight to the mage tower. Once we have their attention, we can bring them here and show them the weapons. Deal?”
Brugo grunted, holding out a hand for her to shake. “Deal.”
With that settled, they split up to find a suitable place to hide the weapons. Eventually, they agreed on a place beneath a large tree where a group of roots grew in a tight tangle. Using the blade of the sword, they were able to pry the roots apart just far enough to create a tight cavity. Then, they dug out a bit of dirt and placed both of the weapons in there, wrapped in Anaya’s old dress.
“Stay,” Brugo said, pointing at Osric who sat placidly beside the tree.
The wolf twitched its ear, but otherwise it gave no outward sign that it understood. Anaya believed they just had to trust the ethereal wolf to do what was best. After all, if it was tied to the sword like her harpies belonged to the rods, she had no doubt it would protect their cache.
They worked their way through the forest until they found a suitable place to emerge into the crowd. They tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible as they wove their way through the people. They made sure to stop and stare at the sky regularly, making comments to the commoners about the strangeness of it all. Most people nodded along without ever letting their eyes drop from the swirling clouds, and Anaya and Brugo moved on quickly.
They soon found themselves in the inner part of Yaal, away from the living quarters. Here, the streets were mostly empty, and they were allowed to move freely. But as they approached the mage tower, they found themselves faced with a new problem.
A group of soldiers stood in a neat line, surrounding the entire building. The tower itself still commanded an unwavering beam of light.
“What now?” Brugo asked irritably.
“I don’t know, but there has to be a way in. Whatever is happening, it’s clear the mages have something to do with it!”
Brugo rolled his eyes, but he followed her into a narrow alley where they could watch the soldiers without being noticed.
The longer they stayed in the alley, the more evident it became that they were never going to get inside. First, the soldiers tightened their line, practically standing shoulder to shoulder all the way around the tower. Then, they watched as an ancient looking man poked his head out from the front door of the tower, only to quickly retreat and slam the door shut. And before long, all of the people who had been standing out in the street staring up at the sky filtered their way back in through the city gates, and began congregating in front of the mage tower.
At first, the growing group of commoners were just a little agitated. They shifted from foot to foot and whispered between themselves about what the mages had to say for themselves. But with no answers forthcoming, a group of those gathered and began shouting, demanding answers. Several times they approached the guards and insisted that the guards be the ones to force their way inside and take the mages into custody.
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From where they were standing, Anaya could see that some of the guards did look pretty nervous. She wondered what the king and his advisors had to say about all this. More than likely, he would be sending along his own soldiers soon enough to take things into hand.
Anaya was growing anxious, too. The longer they watched, the more that swirling cloud in the sky spread its arms, gaining strength from the beams of light. So far, they all remained firmly rooted in the earth, creating an unsettling cage over all of Andrysfal.
“If we don’t get to the mages before the king does, we’re going to have even bigger problems,” Anaya murmured.
“It is a bold assumption that the king himself is not in on this,” Brugo observed.
Anaya turned and gaped at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “What makes you think the king has anything to do with this?”
Brugo shrugged. “He has held his enemies at bay for many years by boasting of his mages’ power. I cannot see it any other way.”
Anaya sniffed. “Well, that may be what he says in official meetings, but as far as I can tell, the mages operate independently. He doesn’t even have a mage on his defense council.”
Brugo shrugged again, but didn’t argue.
Anaya had to admit, Brugo had a point. The king had a bit of a reputation for boasting, and according to the elder Makara, he was always insecure about his position. Her grandmother even said that he had asked the mages to make him appear taller and stronger, because he feared that his advisors were mocking him behind his back. If a man was that insecure, what kind of power would he ask for from the mages? And would they really agree to give it to him? Anaya didn’t like the thought. Her grandmother had shared plenty of old tales about immortal beings when she was younger, and she knew the stories always ended with the most boisterous ones being taken down a notch.
“Okay, maybe they are working for the king, but that just means this guard isn’t going anywhere. We might have missed our chance.”
She tried not to be disappointed, but this was just one more setback after a long string of them. Once again, they were just a little too late. A little too slow. Her heart sank and sighed in defeat.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“Where to?” Brugo asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
“I don’t know. We shouldn’t leave Osric out there all alone.”
Brugo frowned. “And then what? We take the sword and go where?”
“How am I supposed to know? I don’t know anything. Harpyn was the real key to getting into the tower, and now he’s gone, and it has something to do with those things. I’m tired and hungry, and I just want to know where my people are.”
Brugo’s expression softened. He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her toward the street. “Come. Let us find food and a place to rest. Osric will be okay without us.”
Anaya looked up at him, and he gave her a gentle smile around his tusks. She felt a twinge of guilt. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t sign up for this either.”
He nodded, but he was already headed out of the alleyway and into the street.
The crowd had grown thick with people and tensions were high. People were pushing and shoving, trying to get a better view. Some people were shouting at the guards. Some people were simply shouting. Anaya wondered how long the unrest would last if the mages did not leave the tower and the beams of light did not go away.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to walk far to find an open tavern. It was crowded and noisy, and even here, people were speculating about what it all meant. But food and drink were flowing from the kitchen in a steady stream and there was a single table open in the corner.
Anaya and Brugo sat, observing the crowd while they waited on the exuberant young maid to come take their order. When she arrived, she plastered on a big smile just for them, but Anaya could tell she was anxious.
“What’ll it be friends?”
“Ale and stew. And some fresh bread if ye have any,” Brugo answered, giving her his own charming smile.
The maid relaxed a little and nodded, turning to go without another word. Anaya took the chance to put her head down on her arms, trying to block out all of the noise around them. It wasn’t good for thinking.
Soon, the young maid returned with a pair of bowls and tankards, as well as a thick loaf of bread. She gave a little curtsy before leaving them to their meal.
“Here, eat.” Brugo shoved some food at Anaya, and she raised her head.
They ate in silence. Anaya was too frustrated to talk. And what was there to say anyway? Neither of them had any answers. They had to get back to Osric. And there was nowhere else in all of Andrysfal that they could bring the sword. At least, no place she knew of. A tiny part of her wondered if they could just leave the sword and Osric out in the woods. She could go back and get her rods, and go in search of her people. Brugo could go meet up with his friends. This could simply be the end of their journey together. And if Harpyn ever returned, he could deal with the sword and the magic. That was his job, right?
Anaya didn’t even have to speak these thoughts out loud to know they were all wrong. They couldn’t just leave the sword. Even Brugo, who had plenty of reason to go, did not seem willing to leave the thing buried out there in the dirt.
With a long sigh, she raised her eyes to meet his. “If Harpyn was with us, what would he do?”
Brugo cracked a half smile, apparently amused by the thought. “Probably something stupid. Or risky. Like… marching straight up to those guards and declaring himself a mage.”
Anaya laughed softly. Brugo was right. “Do you think it would work?”
Brugo shook his head. “Probably not. Otherwise I’d say you could pull on a robe and try it yourself. But if it didn’t work, he’d probably do that insufferable teleportation thing and just appear behind the guards. Then there would be a whole foot chase and he would slip through the door just in time.” Brugo paused, thoughtful. “Somehow, he always managed to be in just the right place at just the right time.”
Anaya chewed on a hunk of bread, thinking about this. Brugo wasn’t wrong. If they wouldn’t let him through, Harpyn would use his magic to evade them. She had done something similar back in Torg Uyen to get outside the city wall. And back at Geor’s tower, the trees had pointed her straight to that open window. Now, she wondered if she might be able to use her own magic to get inside the tower.
She was still pondering this when a strangely dressed man slid into a seat at their table. “Mind if I join you? There wasn’t anywhere else open.”
Brugo and Anaya both eyed the man suspiciously, but he had already reached for the hunk of bread sitting in the middle of the table, and seemed to be helping himself. They shared a worried look, but waited for the man to finish chewing.
“You two ain’t from around here, are ya?”
Brugo and Anaya remained tightlipped, and Anaya wished desperately that she had the divining rods with her. They were a weak defense, but they were a defense all the same. Fortunately, Brugo still had his axe, and she could see his fingers twitching, ready to pull it free in an instant.
“Well, you don’t have to explain yourselves to little old me. I was just told to keep an eye out for ye, and here you are, so I’ll pass along my message and be out of your way.”
Anaya froze, wondering who might have told this man to watch for them, and what kind of message he was carrying. Could it be Harpyn? How?