From The Ashes, page 1
part #0.50 of The Magelands Epic Series
By Christopher Mitchell
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The Magelands Epic
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From the Ashes
The Queen’s Executioner
The Severed City
Needs of the Empire
Sacrifice
The Trials of Daphne Holdfast
Retreat of the Kell
Copyright © Christopher Mitchell 2018
Cover Illustration by Irina French
Cover Typography by Deranged Doctor Design
Cover Copyright © Brigdomin Books Ltd 2018
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Christopher Mitchell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
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All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems (except for the use of brief quotations in a book review), if you would like permission to use material from the book please contact support@brigdominbooks.com
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Brigdomin Books Ltd
First Edition, December 2018
Ebook Edition © December 2018
ISBN 978-1-912879-00-7
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Contents
1. The Bear
2. Big Lynn
3. Unfit
4. Confined
5. The Challenger
6. Leadership Qualities
7. Playing with Fire
Author’s Notes
Receive a FREE Magelands Book
The Magelands Series
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Chapter 1
The Bear
Netherfarm, Brig Pass – 25th Day, Last Third Spring 504
‘I’m on top,’ Keira said. ‘There’s no way I’m getting pine needles up my arse.’
She pushed him onto his back.
Kylon frowned, his hands unbuckling her belt.
‘We’re supposed to be watching the pass,’ he muttered. ‘We’ll need to be quick.’
‘Aye? Not that fucking quick, I hope.’
She put her hands onto the leather armour covering his chest, and leaned forward. She closed her eyes, feeling the warm wind against her face, as she waited for Kylon to finish loosening his clothes. He stopped, and began to squirm.
‘Stay still, ya daft bugger,’ she said.
He called out, and she opened her eyes.
‘Ye’d better not have gone in yer pants,’ she scowled, then noticed his wide eyes, staring off to her right. She lifted her head to look. A huge mass of fur, bone, teeth and claws was bounding through the forest towards them.
‘A bear!’ she cried.
‘Get off me,’ Kylon yelled, his right hand scrabbling across the damp earth for his spear.
Keira leapt up, half-rolling, half-tumbling, her eyes never leaving the beast. Forty yards and closing. She got to her feet, then tripped over her trailing clothes. She grabbed her scabbard, and hauled her leggings up. Kylon barged into her, his boots slipping on the greasy pine needles carpeting the ground.
‘Run,’ he grunted.
‘I’m trying to, ya stupid bastard.’
She threw her shield across her back and bolted, her scabbard in one hand as she barrelled down the hillside, Kylon at her side. She glanced over her shoulder.
‘It’s still coming,’ she said, as laughter overtook her. Her chest heaved, and tears spilled down her cheeks. Kylon shot her a glare as they sprinted through the trees, the dawn light seeping over the mountains to the east.
He frowned. ‘Stop laughing.’
‘I can’t help it,’ she grinned, ‘there’s a fucking bear chasing us.’
He grabbed her arm, and pulled her along, her fits of laughter making her stumble down the steep slope. They came to a small stream and vaulted over it, their boots leaving deep imprints in the soft earth. They took off down a narrow track, the sound of the beast growing louder behind them. They burst into a small clearing, and Kylon skidded to a halt. He dived to his left, hauling Keira down to the bushes. As she was thrown to the ground, she caught a glimpse of a circle of tents, and smoke rising from a fire at its centre.
‘What the fuck?’ she yelled.
‘Quiet,’ Kylon hissed. ‘Rahain.’
She glanced out through the thick branches of the undergrowth. Several uniformed soldiers were standing around by the track, crossbows cradled in their arms.
‘Fucking lizard bastards,’ Keira whispered.
Her head turned as she heard a crashing through the trees behind her. The bear emerged from the forest, its large, dark eyes scanning the camp. It rose up on its hind limbs, towering over the Rahain soldiers as they stared up at it, their tongues flickering. As the bear roared, one of the soldiers loosed a bolt, striking the beast in its abdomen. The bear let out a cry of rage and charged.
It reached the soldiers in a few bounds, and swung an enormous fore-limb at them, its claws ripping through the thin armour of the closest Rahain. Kylon began to edge backwards, crawling through the undergrowth, but Keira stayed where she was, transfixed by the sight of the great beast just a few yards away. It reached out and raked its claws across the chest of a soldier, roaring. A bolt struck its flank, and it flinched backwards, its paws raised.
‘They’re going to kill it,’ Keira whispered.
‘So?’ said Kylon.
‘He’s our fucking bear,’ she said, frowning. ‘Those wee bastards don’t get to kill our bear.’
She glanced over at the fire burning in the centre of the tents, and raised her hand.
‘What are you doing?’ cried Kylon. ‘You know what Brendan said.’
She shrugged. ‘Brendan’s a fucking prick, but.’
She closed her mind to the injured cries of the bear, and concentrated, focussing her intent on the flames burning ten yards from where she lay. She lifted her fingers, and tendrils of flame began to rise, like whips, from the fire. She flicked her wrist and they lashed down through the air, striking the Rahain soldiers from behind. The fire-whips tore through the leather and skin of the nearest soldiers, flaying their backs. Keira got to her feet as their screams echoed across the side of the mountain. The rest of the Rahain stared at their fallen comrades, and then up at her, the vertical slits of their eyes widening in terror.
With both hands raised, she lifted the rest of the campfire into the air, forming a tight roiling mass of flame. She aimed at the scattering soldiers, and dropped the fire onto them. She felt Kylon beside her, his shield covering her as the last soldiers collapsed to the grass, their burning flesh sending thick coils of dark smoke spiralling up into the blue sky.
Keira glanced at the bear.
It had three crossbow bolts embedded into its flesh, and was snuffling at the corpse of one of the flayed Rahain. Keira raised a small ember from the remains of the campfire, and sent it towards the beast. The glowing fragment flicked off its nose, and the bear reared up, snorting, blood seeping from the wounds across its chest and flank.
‘Go on, shoo,’ Keira said, waving her hands at it.
The bear fell down onto all fours, turned, and bounded back up the hillside.
‘Fucker knows who’s boss,’ she grinned.
‘You’re an idiot,’ Kylon muttered, his eyes as dark as his long hair.
‘Piss off,’ she said, glaring at him.
Kylon glanced at the tall columns of smoke trailing up into the sky.
‘Brendan’s going to go mental.’
‘Boo fucking hoo,’ she said. ‘Come on, let’s see if the dead wee lizards have got anything to drink. My head’s killing me after that.’
She extracted herself from the thick undergrowth, and strode towards the camp. The six small tents were still standing, and packs were piled up by the entrances. She stopped at the nearest, and began rooting around. Kylon shook his head at her, and started collecting the fallen crossbows.
‘Looks like they only just got here,’ he said. ‘What were they doing so high up the mountain?’
‘Who cares?’ she said, rifling through the contents of a soldier’s pack, flinging items of clothing over her shoulder.
‘There might be more coming,’ he said.
‘Good.’
He frowned. ‘I don’t think Brendan will see it that way.’
Keira sighed and glanced up at him. ‘Will ye stop going on about Brendan? Who gives a fuck what he thinks? He’s a coward, scared of his own shites.’
Kylon said nothing, his frown darkening his features.
‘Moody bastard,’ she muttered, then her hand felt something at the bottom of a pack. ‘Hey, hey!’ she grinned. ‘What have we got here?’
She pulled a ceramic jug from the pack, and bit the stopper off. She stood and took a long gulp.
‘Fucking rank,’ she said, grimacing, ‘but it’ll do.’
Kylon spat on the ground.
‘You stay here,’ he said, ‘I’ll get the rest of the squad. We’ll need them to carry all the supplies and weapons out of here.’
She watched him leave, then turned her gaze to the blackened corpses littering the campsite. Most were still smouldering, staining the grass.
She shook her head. ‘How did these bastards ever beat us?’
Keira sat away from the stench of burning Rahain flesh, and drank from the jug of grain spirits as her headache slowly cleared. She was getting better. She could remember a time when each use of her powers would push her into a near-unconscious stupor, which could last up to an hour. It was all the practice, she thought, war was honing her skills, and shortening her recovery.
‘I hope you saved some for us,’ a voice cried.
She turned, and saw her squad stride up the track towards her. At their head was a tall man with long red hair, tied into braids, a huge shield over his shoulder.
‘Fuck off Bedig, ya Brig prick,’ Keira yelled back. ‘There’s none for you.’
The red-haired man laughed, and walked into the centre of the camp, the rest of the squad behind him. At the rear, Keira could see Kylon lurking, scowling.
‘Pyre’s sake, Keira,’ Bedig said, shaking his head at the scorched bodies. ‘What a mess.’
He held out his hand.
Keira took a long swig, and passed him the jug.
Bedig shook it, his eyebrows rising. ‘You finished it?’
Keira shrugged from where she sat. ‘Considering it was me that did all the fucking work, I don’t see what you’re complaining about. Anyway, there’s bound to be more, I only searched a couple of packs.’
Kylon strode forwards.
‘Don’t waste time looking for booze,’ he said to the squad. ‘Just gather the packs and weapons, and let’s get out of here.’
The squad muttered and got to work. Keira smirked at them, stretched and yawned. Kylon walked over to her.
‘You could see the smoke for miles,’ he said.
‘Aye?’
‘You could probably see it from Netherfarm.’
‘Good. At least Brendan will know we’ve not been slacking.’
Kylon frowned.
‘Uhh, mage?’ cried a voice from across the campsite.
Keira turned. ‘What is it Lacey, my wee fire-starter?’
‘I think you might want to see this.’
Keira got to her feet. A few of her squad were crouched in front of one of the tents, their spears and crossbows pointed at the interior. She walked over, Kylon a step behind. Lacey moved aside for her at the tent’s entrance, and Keira peered inside.
She laughed.
‘Would you fucking believe it?’ she said, smirking at the four Rahain soldiers cowering inside the tent.
‘What’ll we do with them?’ said Bedig, as the rest of the squad gathered.
‘Kill the bastards,’ said Lacey.
‘Aye,’ Keira nodded, ‘sounds about right.’
Her eyes scanned the four soldiers. Three looked young and terrified, while the other seemed older, and sat gazing calmly back at her.
‘Maybe we should take them back to Netherfarm with us,’ Bedig said.
There was a low chorus of tuts and grumbles from the squad.
‘I’m only saying,’ Bedig went on. ‘I don’t care how many we kill in battle, but unarmed prisoners?’
‘Fucksake, ya big ginger oaf,’ Keira said. ‘What difference does it make?’
Bedig shrugged. ‘It’s just my opinion.’
Keira shook her head. ‘I’ll tell ye what,’ she said, ‘why don’t we ask them, eh?’
The squad laughed. Everyone knew no Rahain could speak their language.
Keira turned back to the tent, staring at the four soldiers within.
‘Right, ya wee radges. Speak up if ye think we shouldn’t kill ye all.’
She winked at the squad, grinning.
‘Please,’ came a low rasping voice from within.
Keira’s grin dropped away, and the mouths of her squad fell open.
‘Please don’t kill us.’
‘Which one of you lizard fucks said that?’ Keira cried.
Kylon pointed at the older man. ‘Him.’
‘My name is Baoryn,’ the Rahain said.
Keira leaned forward, grabbed the soldier by his collar, and hauled him out of the tent. She stood, the soldier’s boots dangling a foot off the ground as her fingers grasped his throat. His tongue flickered out.
‘Urgh,’ Keira said. ‘I hate it when they do that.’ She leered at him. ‘Go on then, how the fuck do you know how to speak like us?’
The Rahain opened his mouth, and made a choking noise.
‘What?’ Keira frowned.
Lacey tugged at her elbow. ‘Think you might be throttling him, boss.’
Keira let go of the Rahain’s throat, and he fell to the ground. She placed her foot on his chest.
‘Well?’ she said.
‘The army made me learn,’ Baoryn gasped.
Keira scowled at him. ‘Why?’
‘So I could help process all the slaves.’
She shook her head. ‘Wrong fucking answer.’
Her right hand went to her scabbard, and she drew her sword.
‘No, wait, I can help you!’
‘Do you think I’m stupid?’ she said. ‘You’d say any old shite to survive.’
The Rahain squirmed beneath her boot, his hands raised as she pointed the sword at his neck. The squad pressed in close around them, watching in silence.
Kylon caught her eye.
‘Give me a minute with him,’ he said.
‘Aye?’ Keira said. ‘Fuck, alright. Don’t see the point though, he’ll only bullshit you.’
Kylon knelt by the Rahain man, whose eyes were fixed on the tip of Keira’s sword a few inches above his throat.
‘What are you doing up here?’ he said.
‘Scouting,’ Baoryn said, his eyes continuing to stare at the sword.
‘Why? What were you looking for?’
‘The army are worried that there’s another way through the mountains, one that bypasses our lines.’
‘And is there?’ asked Keira.
‘I don’t know. We only arrived this morning. The pass is rumoured to be another ten miles west of here.’
Kylon stood. ‘I believe him.’
‘Good for you,’ Keira said. ‘Can I kill him now?’
‘You’re squad-leader,’ he shrugged, ‘but I think he might be of use to us. He’s the only Rahain we’ve found that can speak our language.’
‘I can be very useful,’ Baoryn said, his eyes wide with hope, ‘if you let me and my comrades live.’
‘All four of ye?’ Keira said.
‘Yes,’ Baoryn said. ‘I know where all the Rahain regiments are located, and the layout of the great palisade wall that keeps you out of Kell. I know all the gates, and the weakest points.’
‘Are you a fucking traitor?’ Keira frowned. ‘Ye’d sell yer own people out?’ She spat at him. ‘Piece of shit.’
She took her foot of his chest, and glared at Kylon.
‘Alright, ya gullible bastard, they’re all yours.’
Keira strode away as Kylon pulled Baoryn to his feet.
‘Get the others out of the tent,’ he yelled to the squad. ‘Tie their hands and blindfold them.’
Keira stared out over the narrow valley, shaking her head. She felt someone at her elbow.
‘We should have killed them, boss,’ Lacey said.
‘Maybe,’ Keira shrugged. She watched the low white clouds scudding across the summer sky. The wind was fresh, blowing her tangled brown hair over her face.
Netherfarm sat on a hilltop, occupying land where an ancient fort had once stood. Its position overlooked and protected the entrance to a narrow gorge, through which the Brig Pass ran. A grey drystane dyke stretched from the farm buildings to the other side of the valley, crossing the swift burn over a low arch. Nestled against the high wall were dozens of tents, where the warriors of Brendan’s company were camped. The officers had taken the farmhouse, with Brendan using the building as his headquarters. As the company’s only mage, Keira had been offered a room in one of the outbuildings, but she had refused it, preferring to stay under canvas with her squad.
