Arcanous the Great #2

When Arcanous woke, he found a piece of parchment on his desk. It was sealed with the King’s emblem. Arcanous knew Aldorn never sent anything by mail unless he needed it there in a timely fashion. So, he didn’t hesitate in opening it.

          Arcanous,

I’ve called for a meeting of the High Council. Get to Valdar as soon as you can.

Aldorn

Arcanous reread the letter in slight surprise. Aldorn rarely sent letters, but he had never called a meeting of the High Council before. Knowing there had to be some deep significance to this, Arcanous quickly packed some things, covered his eyes, and no more than an hour later was on a horse bound for Valdar.

It was customary for the High Guard to accompany any member of the High Council in their travels. However, Arcanous had made a habit of avoiding their company, and this was no exception. At a gallop, he rode out of the city gates, laughing to himself as he heard the guards panic at the realization that he was alone.

This wasn’t the first time he’d managed to avoid them. His guards had a nasty habit of thinking he would wait for them to baby him. Arcanous hated not being allowed to do what he wanted almost as much as he hated waiting for people. It still made him laugh at the look of shock and surprise on his guards’ faces when he left and returned each day from a different direction than they’d expected.

So, at full gallop, he rode on alone. He hadn’t told anyone his direction, but that was intentional. He loved being alone, and didn’t want anyone following him. As he rode he looked across the river next to him. The Darion River was the most important river in Valdaria. This was the connection between Valdar and the Sil Cities. One only needed to follow it upstream to reach Herion, the trade center of Valdaria. From Herion there were roads and rivers to every city in Valdaria, making it a prime spot for trade, and a merchant’s paradise.

From Silsun, Herion was a three day ride. If everything went smoothly, Arcanous considered, he was to reach Valdar before the end of the week. Arcanous wasn’t totally sure how important this upcoming meeting would be, but he didn’t want to stall. He rode all the day and well into the night. The blistering sun had been replaced by a full moon by the time he’d stopped and made camp. After he’d finished, he searched the horizon for anything suspicious. It was then that he saw the fire.

It was only a small campfire, so far as he could tell, but he could tell by the way it only gave off a small glow that whoever fed it also wanted it hidden. Arcanous was a curious person, but he stifled his habits and went to sleep rather than search out whoever it was that camped behind him.

*          *          *

The stars were still bright in the sky when Arcanous woke. As soon as he opened his eyes, however, he froze. He could hear something move through the brush a little ways off. After a moment of listening, he slowly sat up and looked around.

About fifty yards away, four figures walked toward him. He was about to call out to them until he saw a glint of an axe. After a few seconds of searching, he saw three of them held large, shining axes. The fourth was unarmed. For a second he thought they might be his guards, but something didn’t feel right. He didn’t hesitate in muttering thanks that his eyes were covered.

A regular soldier or priest in the same situation would likely have called out. That being said, Arcanous wasn’t regular at all. Closing his eyes, he called for Light’s wisdom. At the same time, he pictured the four figures walking toward him. It took only a moment for the Light to make its mark. When he opened his eyes, he saw a field much different than before he’d closed his eyes.

The four figures continued to walk toward him. However, as Arcanous watched them, they started to fade and change color. The three armed men turned grey. However, what really caught Arcanous’s attention was the fourth, unarmed figure. Instead of turning grey like his companions, he turned dark black. Without question, Arcanous knew what it was. The fourth man was a warlock, no doubt the same one who’d possessed the soldiers the day before.

Before they could get any closer, Arcanous grabbed his own axe and stood. “I would stop where you are if I were you,” he called, defiant and confident.

The four paused. There was only a short moment of hesitation before the warlock stepped forward with a sneer. “I think it’s you that should stop,” he said with a thick Borlasian accent, “We have you now. No need to make this difficult.”

Arcanous simply laughed. “You have me? That’s new. I thought you’d say something intimidating. Now, why would you even want to ‘have’ me?”

“We’re not stupid. I spoke with the spirits you cast out. You have some power, priest. Power as strong as your own could jeopardize some of our plans. So, I’ll be efficient and take care of you swiftly. First, however, you must come with me.”

Arcanous smiled, “I’ve got a different proposition for you. Let me leave without a problem, and you can return to your master without having to explain where you left your body.”

The warlock sneered again. “I have no doubt you could smite me, but these are new recruits. Your smiting has no effect on them. If you kill me, they’ll kill you. Come with us now, and you’ll live a while longer.”

This produced yet another laugh from Arcanous. “I’m leaving now. Follow me if you dare, but I’ll warn you, I’m not to be underestimated.” With that final note, he began to roll up his bedroll. Listening contently as the warlock fumed and sent his companions for Arcanous.

When they finally reached him, he’d already hooked his bedding onto the saddle and was waiting for them. When the first man brought his axe down toward Arcanous’s back, he was surprised to find his victim spin, sending the blunt of his axe into the side of his head. The assailant fell like a tree. Arcanous didn’t have much time to celebrate though, for the other two were approaching.

The two came at him at once, having seen how easy he took down their friend. After a moment of consideration, Arcanous decided to simply dive between them. They attempted to swing after him, but they hadn’t anticipated well enough. He was now in the open, no one between him and the warlock. He didn’t hesitate.

Arcanous charged. He had to get this right. As he ran, he listened for the other two. Sure enough, they were hot on his tail. He couldn’t help but smile as he ran. The warlock was preparing for Arcanous to strike. That wasn’t the plan, however. Arcanous had been listening behind him. So, he knew the other two warriors were right behind him and ready to attack. Just as he was about to hit the warlock, he stopped.

He managed to surprise all of them. Less than a second after he’d stopped, the warlock was dead with his companions’ axes stuck in his corpse. After some quick raps on their heads, the remaining warriors decided to take a nap next to their dead friend.

Arcanous slowly walked back to his horse. His smile died with the warlock, but he couldn’t help but feel a little jolly about his victory. He was as good a warrior as any. He practiced all the time. Being the best priest as well made it sweeter still. As he walked however, his adrenaline left him, exposing how exhausted he truly was. Closing his eyes, he stopped his Meditation Sight. Tired, but awake, Arcanous mounted his horse and continued his ride toward Valdar and the king.