It took almost three days for Lord Justin to set up the ambush. He sent runners to the city with their fake message the next morning. They returned later that day, empty handed as expected. The carts bringing Fort Estron resources arrived that day as well, and the Wisp Seekers helped unload them.
During this time, the Wisp Seekers were instructed to remain out of sight entirely. They had to stay off the walls and inside the fort. Jarnvaror’s presence at the fort would give the plan away, so Peter told him to fly north, only coming back during the night when no one would be able to see him. The dragon agreed, taking the opportunity to hunt and rest out in the wilderness.
Anna spent most of her time trying to talk with the Wisps. She focused on her part in the plan, hoping they’d pick up on it, hoping that they would automatically try and protect the soldiers around her. Halcyon’s influence washed over her as she tried this. She was almost certain he understood. But she didn’t know if the others would follow him.
“Look at these men,” she would whisper to the bracelet, hopping speaking aloud to the Wisps would help. “They’re going to need your help, too, okay?” A ripple ran through Halcyon’s influence, but still nothing from the others. She kept trying.
She didn’t know how many Wisps would be scattered among the bandits. There had been so few with the Pirates. But if Andrew was right and the bandits had been initially planning on dealing with the her and the others, they might be outnumbered. She’d expressed this worry to Andrew. He’d thought to himself a moment before nodding. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” he’d said. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” he added.
“I do,” Anna insisted. “If they really do have dozens of Wisps with them, they’ll need protection.”
“Doubt you’ll need to worry about it,” Peter said. “Halcyon’s taken on worse odds before by himself, and I’m sure the others will back him up, like they have before. Besides, seems like the Wisps prefer Halcyon to the Steelers.” He grinned. “Think of it this way! The more Wisps they bring, the more they’ve outnumbered themselves.”
Anna smiled. “Thanks Peter,” she’d said.
On the second night, the preparations were ready. Peter left with Jarnvaror. He promised they’d swoop in as soon as the fighting started. Andrew would be staying with the other soldiers coming as back up. He’d offered to stay with Anna, but Lord Justin, Peter, and Anna had all pointed out that his skill with a bow would be more useful as part of the reinforcements rather than in the initial ambush.
So he saw Anna off when she left with the other soldiers in the wagon. A cover had been placed over it, concealing the troop of men inside. Two more wagons, each likewise covered, accompanied them. Anna was stationed in the center wagon, where, hopefully, her Wisps would be able to cover the most ground.
The three wagons made their way south, almost to the border with Selasem before stopping for the night. Their goal was to travel up the road that ran between Fort Estron and Nuidia. In the best case scenario, the bandits would attack early in the day, while it was still cool, and they would be close to the fort so reinforcement’s wouldn’t be too far off. But it was just as likely they would strike later in the day, if they’d take the bait at all.
Lord Justin’s lieutenant, Frederick, lead the company of wagons. He was disguised as a merchant, with flowing robes to hide his chainmail and sword. He drove the wagon Anna was hiding in. “Everyone be sure to get plenty of rest,” he called when they stopped. Anna knew from the outside it was supposed to look like he was talking to the drivers of the other wagons, even when he addressed the soldiers in hiding. “We’ll be up early.”
Anna tried to oblige. Even now, the ruse was to already have begun. She sat in the corner of the wagon with eight soldiers crammed together, covered by the tarp. They were instructed to remain as quiet as they could. They were only allowed out to relieve themselves and stretch after all the fires had been doused, and then only one at a time.
When morning came, Anna was sure she’d only managed an hour or two of sleep. Still, she was grateful. The waiting was almost over. The wagons began their journey again, horses trudging slow. The sky grew brighter and hotter and began to penetrate the cloth. Her companions didn’t look comfortable. Unlike the drivers, they wore no disguise over their armor. Their spears were laid out between them on the floor of the wagon. Anna scanned their faces. Some looked nervous, others relaxed, and others merely grim. If they saw her looking at them, they just nodded their heads. So there was only the sound of the wheels and the horses as they moved.
Anna felt Halcyon stir in her bracelet. “Not yet,” she whispered. “We don’t want them to notice you if anyone’s watching.” They also wanted to wait until they knew they were dealing with another Wisp user to reveal Halcyon and the others. She felt the soldiers eye her. She mouthed the words, “Don’t worry,” for them, then closed her eyes to focus on the Wisps.
The warmth and the motion of the wagon lulled Anna. She was sure she never truly fell asleep, but for a while, time didn’t seem to pass. The whole world seemed nothing more than the rattling of the wheels.
A series of loud cracks snapped through the air. Anna shot up with a squeak, though, through the neighing of horses and shouts from the men steering the wagons, she doubted anyone heard it. Voices rang out, adding to the confused din. The wagon rattled as it came to a halt. Anna looked around, trying to see through the thin slit between the cover and the rim of the wagon. She saw nothing but Fredrick’s back and a strip of sky.
A voice came from some distance way. Anna wasn’t sure how far, but it took a moment before she could make out the words. “Calm down, calm down. There is no need to panic!” it said. “We don’t want to hurt any of you. We’d just like to take an early peak at some of the goods you’re selling.”
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The soldiers around Anna exchanged looks with one another, hands on their weapons. She shook her head at them. It was all she could do to keep Halcyon from bursting out right away. Outside the wagon, Frederick called back to their assailants. “Sir’s please! We’re helpless! We can’t afford to part with anything here!”
“We’re poor ourselves!” replied the far off voice. “But I’m sure you’ve got something to spare for us destitute locals. If not, I’m sure young Sakir wouldn’t mind trying to persuade you again.”
“We haven’t anything you’d find valuable!” Fredrick continued in a piteous voice. “Spare us!” The soldiers hidden with Anna all reached for their spears. Boots crunched in the gravel as some of the bandits slid down closer to the wagons. Anna couldn’t feel the tell-tale rage or fear of Wisps coming from outside. She wasn’t sure if that meant the enemy had no Wisps, though. Still, she knew they only had seconds before the bandits were upon the cart. Halcyon insisted on trying to help calm her down.
Outside, the bandit leader was still calling to Frederick. “I’m sure we’ll know if we think anything is worthwhile. And you’ve nothing to worry about if you really are empty handed.” There was a pause as the footsteps kept getting closer. “What is that?” came the bandit’s voice again.
Anna felt herself panicking. He shouldn’t be able to recognize Halcyon’s influence from so far away. Maybe it was something else. Had he seen Jarnvaror? Was Peter already descending?
“You’re monsters!” Frederick called in a much louder voice. “You attack travelers with no aid!”
The signal! The soldiers around Anna all began to move, piling out of the wagon with a shout. Anna felt sluggish, watching their instant response. Then her brain caught up. She followed them out of the wagon. Over twenty five soldiers stood, spears and shields at the ready, facing a small group of startled robbers. There were no more than twelve of these men. Or fourteen, Anna realized seeing the two men standing on the ridge next to the road.
She couldn’t hold Halcyon back any more. He fully emerged from her bracelet, along with a few of the other Wisps. Their influence fell like a fog over the group, even before they were out from the cover of the wagon. The bandits and soldiers, moments from striking at each other, all froze. Anna fixed her eyes on the bandit leaders. She recognized one as the young man from the city. The other, though, wasn’t the large man that had confronted them. He was smaller, with mousy hair and sharp features. And he trembled in rage as he looked over the group.
“What are you doing? Kill them!” he yelled.
The bandits seemed to hesitate. The soldiers began to adopt more defensive stances. Halcyon pulsed. She wondered if he’d understood it, if he could hear outside the reach of his influence. Maybe he was just reacting to the soldiers and bandits all around though. He pulsed wave after wave of a calm, peaceful resolve. No one moved.
“Capture them,” Anna said, her voice calm. She knew the command would sit better under her Wisps’ influence than the bandit leader’s had. The soldiers that had been in the wagon with Anna turned to her, nodded, then approached the bandits, two to one. The other’s followed suit, and the bandits cowered away. A few turned to try and run, only to be caught by the guards.
“I can’t believe they won’t even fight,” Frederick marveled, looking as his soldiers subdued the bandits.
“Damnit, Sakir!” the leader of the bandits cried. “Do something! Kill her!”
Anna’s head snapped up. The young man seemed startled by the command. He looked from the Wisps to his commander, then back to Anna. “Right…” he muttered. He raised his hand. Anna saw a point glowing with yellow light under his wrist. Then the earth around him rose up.
Anna moved to take cover behind the wagon before the mage completed his spell, but she kept her eyes fixed on him. The earth flowed like water. No, like sand. As it reached about the height of the young man’s head, it condensed into several small pellets. The young man flicked his wrists, and Anna felt herself knocked to the ground. A sound of smashing wood echoed overhead.
It was Frederick’s quick thinking that saved her. He’d tackled her just as the mage sent the pellets flying. The wagon they’d been standing next to was reduced to splinters in the volley. Halcyon pulsed his influence through Anna’s head, trying to keep her calm. It mixed with her natural terror. She wasn’t sure she could even move.
“Keep your head, girl!” Frederick coughed.
Anna found herself scrambling to her feet and saw the mage was already preparing another volley of pellets. She only had time to dive again. She felt some of the pellets tear through the air inches from her. She didn’t wait on the ground. She shot up and started trying to prepare a spell of her own.
Already, the mage Sakir had created more missiles out of the earth. Anna gave up the spell and just ran. Pellets of earth slammed into the ground all around her. She dove behind a rock not much larger than her. She felt it shudder as the pellets of condensed earth exploded across the rock. She tried to reach out with her own sense of magic, thinking she might be able to interfere with his spell. But he was casting too quickly. By the time she thought she saw a way to unravel it, the stones were already flying through the air, the completed pattern fading from existence.
“Look’s like you’re little mage is a good for nothing!” the leader called. “Sakir, kill the men. We can handle her in a—”
The ground shook, and a low growl filled the air. Anna risked peaking around the rock to see Jarnvaror had landed on the ledge with the mage and the leader. Both men had turned to face the dragon. The leader screamed, and Jarnvaror’s head snapped to the man.
“Yeah, he’s in charge,” came Peter’s voice. Jarnvaror hissed. The man drew his sword and swung at the dragon. Jarnvaror retaliated with a burst of flames. The leader fell, rolling down the ledge, screaming.
The young mage kept his head a lot better. He dashed under Jarnvaror, angling, Anna thought, into the desert itself. As he ran, he raised his arm behind him. The earth rose up as sand, condensed once more into dozens of little balls, and flew at Jarnvaror in a barrage. The dragon roared in fury and shot fire at Sakir. The mage had already drawn the earth up in a barrier around him. Then he pelted the dragon with more rocks. Jarnvaror spread his wings, and the mage sent shards of earth at the one on the right, shredding the membrane and smashing into the thin fingers.
Anna blinked, watching the whole thing happen. Sakir’s whole arm was glowing yellow now. She was almost sure she’d caught the faint glowing tendrils of Wisp light leaking from his arm, into the rocks he was forming. Had it been doing that before? No, she was sure. He was pouring a Wisp’s magic into his attacks.
She could tell why, looking at Jarnvaror. The dragon’s face and wing on the side the mage struck from were bloody. He hissed whenever rocks struck at his scales, and he hesitated to go after the mage, only shooting fire until the mage was far enough away that he stopped pelting the dragon with his magic rocks. Then, as she watched, Sakir the mage slowed down, brought his hands together, and suddenly, the ground itself seemed to be carrying him away.