Dark Tidings

Chapter 22 - Here Be Trickery and Deceit

"Wow, scary or what? That fireball is definitely not something you want to keep in your head any longer than you have to. I'm ready for the next spell. I need to put that last one a long way behind me."

He went through the routine again. The new spell materialised and he stared into the depths of his head and saw water. He tried to focus more but no matter which way he looked at it, it was just water; lots of water.

"I see water," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "lots of water."

"Water," pondered Madrick. "It may be the simple 'water to drink' spell. It was created to help travellers parch their thirsts as they crossed some of the vast wastelands which used to cover the landscape."

"Okay, so I'll just say it. I could do with a drink."

"No wait. It's either that or a spell which parts a great expanse of water so there's a safe and dry passage through it. I've no way of knowing which one it is, not without the words."

"Only one way to find out," said Tung.

"NO WAIT. I've no idea what'll happen if you use the sea-parting spell when there's no water around. It could be catastrophic. Let's keep travelling south and only use the spell when we come across a decent-sized body of water."

That was wise and sensible, so after a short protest from Tung, they set off at a decent pace, all things considered, heading south.

Hours later a group of peasants congregated to stare at the semicircle of trees left standing after Tung's fireball. Seven trees was all that remained of the great circle of oaks which had been there longer than anyone could remember. The village elders were called and they agreed they'd have to rename their town. 'Twelve Oaks' no longer made sense.

Tung and Madrick eventually came to a small lake. It was serenely beautiful and its secludedness, being completely surrounded by a forest of luscious pine trees, made it the perfect place to find out which spell they had. Tung spoke the spell and, unspectacularly, a small cup of crystal clear liquid appeared.

"Wow, that was disappointing," said Tung. "I wanted to feel the power of parting the lake."

"Mind you," said Madrick handing him the magical cup. "Take a sip of that. It's the cleanest, freshest, sweetest water I've ever tasted."

Rested and refreshed, they set off again on their southerly journey, making the short detour around the lake, because the magical shortcut had unfortunately failed to materialise.

"Create another spell," Madrick demanded as they set off. "You should be able to do it on the move now that you've had so much practice."

The saying ritual was repeated over and over again on their journey southward. Many, many spells were created and used. A few helped them a little, while others had the unfortunate consequence of leaving behind magically-created landmarks which would act as pointers for their pursuers. The ever-burning campfire and the giant pillar of salt were two good examples of the signs which would tell informed observers that magic had passed through.

They'd been on the road for more days than they could remember but, as each day passed, they both felt slightly safer. The longer they travelled, the more likely it was that the pursuers would give up, particularly as they were now approaching the border. Once they crossed into the adjoining kingdom, surely they'd be safe?

"This is the town which marks the edge of Mifal's kingdom," said Madrick as they approached a ramshackle of a village.

It was a small settlement built around a substantial wooden castle which nestled beside the river that marked the southern boundary of Mifal's lands. A small group of people stood by the road and watched them approach.