magic

The gods were pissed off, Talonn thought, as he was rolling up his bedroll. He put on
his upper Plate Armor, covering his chest and stomach area as well as his entire back; it
was scarred and had a battle-worn look to it, as did it’s Master. His six-foot frame as
solid as an oak, ripped and rock-hard. His arms bulged as he fastened the piece onto his
body. Talonn was shorter than the average knight, but what he lacked in size he made
up for in strength and agility. Giving an Elite Knight this kind of errand was just not
right. As he finished his morning routine, his mate and partner, Tendersoul, stretched
and cocked up on one arm. “Morning.” She said.

“Morning,” was all Talonn replied as he stoked the fire for morning coffee and a small
breakfast just a little to hard; sparks flew in every direction.

“Are you still pouting over this assignment?” Tendersoul teased.

Their horses, ShadowMaker and Serria, whinnied in the background, wanting some
breakfast of their own. “I’ll be there in a minute!” Talonn assured them.

“I have slain dragons, crushed Orc Bezerkers and walked through Hell’s Plains and
lived to tell about, just to name a few of my glorious victories in battle! And now I have
been demoted to an errand boy? Your damn right I’m pissed off! I tell you Tender, the
gods were pissed when I spared that Troll’s life in the Cave’s of The Lost and now
they punish me, I tell you!”

“I am well aware of your resume, my love, and just for the record, it was only one
dragon and you had help,” Tendersoul corrected her husband. “This is a noble mission
that we have been chosen for, Talonn. The King of Thiberious would never trust this
matter to just anyone, but to only those in whom he has complete trust.”

“Maybe,” Talonn grunted, “Hell, I would at least like to know what’s in the message of
such great importance; all we know is it contains military tactical information and must
be delivered to the King of Cardiania at all cost. And that there we would receive further
instructions”

Another Whinny, from the Peanut Gallery. “I’ll be there in a minute you two!” Talonn
replied. “Just hold your horses!” He laughed at his own humor. His wife slapped him in
the arm.

“Isn’t that enough, Talonn? You know very well that we have to push the Orc forces
back. They have made great advances on our territory, trying to gain back what we
have rightly taken from them. We need to enlist the help of others in the region if we
hope to win this war.” Tendersoul was telling Talonn nothing new. He knew she was
right. She gave her husband a hug, “Now, what have we here on this fire to feed a poor
maiden in distress?”

Out of nowhere came the hellish, vile screams. Talonn knew these screams well as did
his companion. “Orc Riders, from the East!” Talonn shouted over the deafening
pounding that came from the enemy.

In an instant they were battle-ready and set to take on the horde. Talonn counted one
Orc Rider, no doubt the Commander of this invading force, two mounted Spearmen
and roughly five to ten foot soldiers bringing up the rear. “Take out the Spearmen
first!” Talonn ordered, picking up his secondary weapon, his axe, but his partner was
way ahead of him. Steel Shields set side by side, the Spearmen shot their spears with
lethal precision; Tendersoul heard them whistle as the collided with their shields,
skipping off, sending sparks flying and leaving charred burn marks in their shields. The
two grunted under the force with which the spears were thrown; they could not
withstand many more such attempts, it was time for action.

Talonn stood and fired his axe, catching his mark in the face, splitting the Spearman’s
head cleanly in two. Greenish bile splattered in every direction; his stead snorted and
whined as it bucked what was left of its master off its back.

Tendersoul stood and fired her axe; it landed deep in the chest of the second Spearman’
s steed, driving her prey to the ground. Tendersoul was on her feet in an instant
charging the enemy. But the Spearman recovered quickly, drawing another spear it
fired, this time driving Tendersoul backward, knocking her off her feet, the wind
knocked out of her.

Talonn was drawn away to the Orc Rider, the Commander of this little band of raiders.
2-Handed Sword in hand, he waited for the beast to make another pass; thunder rippled
up from the earth as the creature turned to square off with Talonn for another pass,
another battle-cry escaped the Orc’s lips; Talonn let go a war cry of his own. The
Rider wielded a Saber, lethal in the right hands; the Rider bent low and to the left,
rotating his Blade like a windmill. Talonn stood tall, 2-Hander upright, ready for the
beast’s attack. At the perfect moment in time both fighters swung for all they were
worth; sparks flew as they traded blows, staggering Talonn and causing the Rider to let
go a cry at the blow of the impact. Talonn knew that the only way to win this battle
would be to get the beast off his horse; he could not stand up to this kind of
punishment much longer, the beast would just wear him down until the time was right
for a kill. Talonn’s next shot would be at the horse, and then the playing field would
even up. They matched up again, swords to the ready. The Rider bent low for yet
another attack at his prey. Talonn stood tall, slightly bent at the knees, at the last
moment he lunged to the right side of the horse. The Orc Rider tried to adjust his
attack, but was just a little to late. As much as Talonn hated to do it (the horse was not
at fault and had no guilt to bare in who it’s master was) but he had no choice; he laid
his blade deep in the steed’s chest, driving the both of them to the ground. The Orc
leader was not ready for the change in tactic and landed hard on the ground, unmoving.

Talonn went to finish the job and out of the corner of his eye he saw Tendersoul down
and in trouble, the shaken Spearman, picking up a spear from the ground, approaching
her to finish his deadly game. Talonn started at a dead run, screaming at the horror he
saw, begging the gods for favor and quickness. The Spearman preoccupied with his
job at hand never saw it coming. Talonn took his head off with one clean swing,
showering him and Tendersoul with the vile, greenish liquid that fueled these killers.

As Talonn helped Tendersoul to her feet, he heard the other Orc approaching fast,
trying to take advantage of Talonn’s distraction and finish the battle he had begun.
Talonn turned and tried to make a solid assault on his enemy, but was too slow and just
turned enough to block most of the blow; the Orc’s blade slide down Talonn’s sword
and make it’s home deep in Talonn’s left leg; the warrior dropped to a knee, gritting his
teeth in pain. Tendersoul shot over her man, and laid her sword cleanly under the Rider’
s chin; it was over in an instant, more blood as the Orc’s body refused to follow it’s
master’s head, stood there for a few seconds and then his body dropped to it’s knees
and fell forward to the ground.

Tendersoul turned to attack the last of the invaders, only to find them running back the
way they came. “Filthy cowards!” She screamed. Blood curdling cries could be heard
from the pack as the faded into nothingness over the crest of the mountain. And then,
all was quiet.

Exhausted, Tendersoul joined her mate on the ground, the warriors spent from the
battle. Tendersoul took inventory of Talonn’s damaged leg. “This is bad, Talonn,” her
concern evident, “we have to try to get back to the city and have this looked at by the
Druids.”

“Nonsense!” growled the warrior, “we have a mission to complete and by the gods we
will finish what we started. You have a Healing Rune in your backpack, bring it here
woman. And do not tell me you forgot the chant the Druids taught you to use the
thing!”

“No, I have not forgotten, my love,” she replied, “even if I can get the sacred words
correct, I am no Druid. And I will not be able to use the Rune to its fullest effect.”

“We are not quitting, Tender. We have never quit anything in our lives and we are not
about to start. Now bring me the Rune and start chanting your pretty little ass off.” He
smiled his assurance. “You will do fine, besides, I’m bleeding to death here while we
debate the finer points of Druid magic, go, all will work out.”

With a reluctant smile, Tendersoul rose to her feet and made her way to their
encampment. “Oh, no!” She said in disbelief, “Talonn, they killed our horses!” A sob
escaped the warrior. Tendersoul began frantically searching for her Runes. She almost
cried when she stumbled upon the treasure, rapped in the same cloth she had so
carefully put them in. perhaps I can at least stop the blood loss, she thought, and heal
the wound enough to get him back on his feet. She rose to her feet, taking a quick
inventory of the damage to the camp, and made her way back to Talonn.

Talonn lie on the ground waiting impatiently for his partner to return, cursing the
vultures, which circled overhead, waiting, no doubt, for him to die.
“Here we go, Talonn, I hope I can do this correctly,” Tendersoul was anxious, “you
know that I have only preformed this a couple of times, with the Druids guidance, and
had limited success for my efforts and their teaching.”

“Don’t worry, Tender, I have faith in you. Just get me back on my feet again, love.”

Quietly, Tendersoul laid the Rune next to her man, setting one hand on it and the other
on his wound. Very softly, respectfully she began the ancient incantation, calling upon a
rite so old, so sacred, it chilled her to the bone. Talonn willingly, fully surrendered his
body, slipping into a trance-like state but able to hear and see what was happening.
Talonn’s body became warm from head to toe and he felt as if he were floating above it
all….

                                        **~**~**~**~**~**~**

An hour or more had past when Talonn awoke; Tendersoul lie quietly beside him,
exhausted from the ritual. “Tender, hey babe, wake up.” He gently brought her out of
her sleep. “You did good, partner.” He said softly. He examined her work: The bleeding
had stopped and the gash itself was not as bad as when he suffered the damage; he felt
pretty good, overall.

“Wow!” Tendersoul exclaimed, “I did a damn good job on you, old man, if I do say so
myself. Much better than I had hoped for.” She was proud of herself.

“The Druids will be proud of you when they hear of your success; maybe they will
make you an Honorary Druid.” He teased.

“Let’s not push it… maybe though…” she quipped. Tendersoul made short work of
bandaging up his leg to help protect from infection or further damage.

Talon rose to test his weight on the leg. “Almost as good as new! Come on, partner, let’
s gather up what is left of our gear and get the hell out of here before those vile beasts
decide to make another attack on us.”

At least Talonn’s Plate Leggings were still in camp. Probably too heavy for the foot
soldiers to carry all the way back to their little holes in the ground, Talonn thought. He
had them off while cooking breakfast; he vowed to never make that mistake again.
Thankfully he was not as careless his upper body armor. Actually, all in all, things were
not as bad as they first looked: Their food was gone, a couple of backup weapons,
some torches appeared to be missing and they did get one of the two Healing Runes
that Tendersoul had packed.

The real blow was that the beasts killed their horses, which angered Talonn more than
he could express; he wished death to all those who took part in this raid. He hoped one
day their paths would cross again so he could torture and kill those who took from him
and Tendersoul. Talonn let out a guttural moan as he fell limp next to his horse and
friend, ShadowMaker; tears weld up in his eyes as he fought them away. “Damn
beasts.” He again vowed to make this right. Shadow had been with Talonn a long time;
he would have gladly given his own life in place of his horse. It would be hard to find
another steed as loyal or as fast and strong as ShadowMaker, hard indeed. Talonn sit
with his friend for a good spell, wishing him well in the next life. Hoping he would find
many glorious battles to ride victorious in….

Tendersoul busied herself in camp, repacking what was left of their gear. Always leave
a camp as it was before you invaded it, out of respect for the land. And leave no trail
for your enemy to track you by, she thought. It was basic knight training and a rule her
and Talonn had always respected.

Finally, Talonn made his way back to his woman; she could see the hurt and anger in
his eyes. She gave him a hug, “It will be ok, Talonn, it will be ok.” Talonn was grateful
for his wife’s understanding. They stood for a long moment, grieving their losses to
their family.

Talonn tried to shake it off. “What else needs to be done before we can get the hell out
of here and down the road? I have left all the work for you, I am sorry, Tender.”

“It’s ok, I will mourn Serria in my own way, in my own time,” Tendersoul replied
softly.

“Well, we have a long way to go, we best get started.”

“Where are we going to get horses and supplies?” Tendersoul asked. “We need to go
back and re-supply, Talonn.

Talonn thought for a moment, “we will re-supply at Andor’s. It is a little out of our
way and I know you do not like him, but he will help us. He will give us a couple
horses on loan, I am sure of it. He’s only about a days walk from here.”

“Talonn, Andor is a Dark Knight and not to be trusted. He took all the kingdom gave
him and uses it for evil, him and that Sorcerer, what is his name? Ilexon, that’s it. I
know you and Andor went through your training together and became close friends,
but certainly we are not going to seek aide from such a man!”

Talonn turned sharply on his mate and put a hand on each of her shoulders. “Listen to
me now, Tendersoul: We have a mission to finish and I am not going to turn tail and
run back to our King without good news; I will die first! Andor may have chosen a
different path, but anytime I have needed him he has been there for me and I will never
renounce my friendship to him. He chose his path for his own reasons and I will not
judge him for that, it is not our place.” Talonn turned and began walking again, albeit
with a slight limp. “I am asking you to put your feelings aside and let me handle him,
please.” Please was not a word Talonn used often and when he used it Tendersoul was
the only ear that ever heard it.

Tendersoul match stride with her man; she would never leave his side, for anything nor
any person. “Have it your way, but make our stay as short as possible. I will put on my
smiley face for the Devil, if you wish.”

Talonn put his arm around her. “Thank you, my Princess.” And it was settled.

                                      **~**~**~**~**~**~**

As they approached Andor’s Castle, in the blink of an eye, Archers in the castle’s
towers made ready their bows and arrows. It was an impressive show, thirty or so in
one tower and the same in the other tower. The towers guarded two massive,
reinforced wooden doors, which granted access to Andor’s Domain. In front of the
doors, two guards of at least seven foot, fully covered in the best armor money could
buy, guarded the entrance.

Crossing their massive Two-Handed Swords, one guard demanded, “who goes there?
By the gods tell me before I give the order to shoot you dead!”

“Talonn and Tendersoul of Thibierious! We seek Andor, an old friend of this company.
Call Him forth, if you will!” Talonn exhausted from their trek, gathered what was left
of his energy to make a good call for his old friend.

One of the guards slid a piece, cut into one of the doors and called on the messenger.
“Notify Andor he has two travelers out here claiming to know him, otherwise we will
cut them in two, and be quick about!” Oh, great, someone else who is hell-bent on kill
us. Talonn thought to himself.

A few minutes later the slider jumped to life once again. “Here we go Tender, do you
think it’s a good day to die?” Talonn asked. She gave him a smirk, clearly not amused.
Talonn gave a shrug in return.

The Massive Oak doors swung partially open, allowing Talonn and Tendersoul access
to the inner courtyard. The guards looked disappointed, as they would not be torturing
the pair of them today before disemboweling them and leaving the rest for the vultures.
Talonn gave each a smile as they passed through. Damn are they big boys, He thought
again, I would hate to have to feed these two on a daily routine.

Andor greeted his friend, “Talonn! How the hell are you, man? Wow, you really look
like shit; where are your horses?”

“It’s good to see you too.” Sarcasm dripped from the comment. As Andor led the pair
into his home Talonn began a detailed account of the adventures up to today.

“Damn, you two are lucky you thought to come here,” Andor stopped in his tracks.
“Tendersoul, forgive my manners, how are you, girl?”

“Andor.” Was all she replied in greeting.

“She still doesn’t like me much, huh, buddy?”

“Well… she just doesn’t know you as I do, is all, friend.” Glancing at Tender with a
“be nicer” kind of look. Tendersoul just pouted and drove her husband nearly into a
quiet frenzy.

“Come,” Andor prompted, “Let us eat and catch up, then the pair of you will lie down
for a rest in one of my guestrooms. Tomorrow we can see about re-outfitting you with
some horses and equipment for your journey. Why was it that you are out on the trail,
anyways?”

Over an elaborate meal, which the pair of them appreciated more than words could say
(camp food was always quick and just enough to keep One fed and their energy up, but
not enough to weigh them down) Talonn told his friend of the mission to enlist Military
support from neighboring clans to help defend against their city and home being run
over by Orc invaders as well as any alliances the Orc’s may have with them.

Tendersoul ate quietly as the two men discussed matters at hand; she had to admit that
Andor was a likeable sort who truly seemed to take an interest in their plight and the
welfare of the two of them; maybe, just maybe, she has judged him too quickly. She
wasn’t sure if she could ever call the man an ally or not. After all, she reminded herself,
he is a Dark Knight having turned away from his home and all the people who loved
him to purse whatever evil he is involved with; using his talent and power for those
things that are only spoken of in dark places. However, she was grateful for his help
and generosity and would make it a point to treat the man with more respect from here
on out. After all, this was not a man to have as an enemy.

At least she saw no sign of Ilexon the Sorcerer; he downright scared her. Andor must
have him on a short leash, she summarized. Although Tendersoul had no doubt he was
close at hand, in some room learning more magic or dreaming up evil ways to use the
power he has, no doubt. As close as Tendersoul could calculate, Ilexon must be in the
neighborhood of one hundred ten years old; although, no one really knows for sure.
Sorcerers tended to be a little more than touchy when asked their age.

They ate and drank their fill of Andor’s Brew, his own stock he claimed and retired for
the night. The room was enormous and as beautiful as any they had seen. A fire burned
brightly in the fireplace. Sadly, it was barely given a glance as the two of them stripped
their gear off of themselves and fell onto the soft bed. It was there they passed out for
a much-needed rest, unafraid of dangers out on the trail….

It was a sweet sleep.

                                      **~**~**~**~**~**~**

The morning sun, shining through the bedroom window woke Talonn. Squinting and
rolling over to wake his wife he found Tendersoul was already up. “Damn, the woman
should have awoken me.” Talonn stumbled from the bed and got his gear on as fast as
humanly possible. As he made his way through the halls of the castle towards the inner
court he heard Tendersoul and Andor and talking to one another. What the hell is
happening, he thought, my wife has taken a turn for the better towards my old friend
He all but stumbled down the entrance stairs, glancing at his wife with such a puzzled
look she laughed. “Morning Babe.” She greeted him.

“Morning to you.” Still puzzled at this change of heart for a killer who happened to be
his friend.

“Ahh, good morning Talonn!” Andor beamed, ”I trust you slept well?”

“Yes, like a stone.” Talonn replied.

“Come, we have a quick breakfast to see you off on your adventure.” Offered Andor.
Over breakfast, Andor handed Talonn the inventory list. “Your lovely wife and I were
just going over your new inventory; I trust you will find it suitable to see the pair of you
through the rest of your journey.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Talonn began looking over the list carefully penned on a scroll, and stopped eating in
mid-stride. The list consisted of two fresh stallions, a third packhorse, no doubt as
strong as the other two. The third horse was loaded with fresh packs and bedrolls,
food, torches and other equipment need for the trek. At the very end of the list there
were two additions to their crew: A Knight and an Archer.

“Brother, I can’t accept this, as grateful as I am, there is no way I could pay you
back….”

“Who the hell said anything about payment? It is a gift to you; I have not seen you in
ages, Talonn. Please take this outfit as a gift. Bring my men back to me unharmed if at
all possible; of course there are no guarantees in the Land of Magic! These men are
under your command until they return to me.”

Talonn was speechless and did the only thing that came to mind; he continued eating to
the smile of Andor and a wink from his wife.

                                      **~**~**~**~**~**~**

After breakfast everyone met out at the stables. Talonn looked at his old friend in the
eyes; he could see the bond was as strong as it ever was. “I have missed you, old
friend.”

“As I have you, Talonn. You will need these men trekking through the Bad Lands of
Hell’s Plains. You will no doubt encounter the Outlaw Hunters as well as Elf Scouts;
very hard to kill, as you know, these little devils are experts with the Bow as well as
roaming undetected. It would make me feel better. These men know what they have
signed up for.”

“You mean they volunteered for this mission?” Talonn asked, as he eyed the two
warriors.

“Yes, I asked if any would ride with one of the best friends I have ever had the pleasure
of knowing. I explained briefly what your mission was and asked for volunteers. I had
more than just two stand up and I hand picked two of my best men for the journey.”
Replied Andor.

“Thank you, Andor.” Talonn grasped his forearm in a shake.

“It is my pleasure. And, now that your woman knows that the job of a man does not
necessarily show his inner character, I think Tendersoul will be happy to be my guest
here in the future. Tendersoul nodded in agreement. Maybe one day I will need your
help, Talonn, and you will not forget our friendship, ehh?”

“Till death, Andor, my sword will stay sharp to ally with you if you ever need me. Just
send word.” Talonn promised and with one more shake he let go his grip on Andor’s
forearm. Andor held his grasp for an extra second, his eyes seemed to be elsewhere
and then, as quick as Talonn noticed this change, it was gone. And Andor let go and
gave a big smile to his guests.

Out of the shadows of the castle entranceway Tendersoul thought she caught a glimpse
of Ilexon; she shivered despite the warmth from the sun. She was ready to go.

Turning to his two new warriors, “You are under my command and the command of
my wife, Tendersoul. Is there a problem with this?” Neither spoke a word of protest. “I
commend your courage for this trek,” Talonn continued, “Understand, I cannot
guarantee your safety. We will ride together through some of the roughest country this
land knows; although something tells me the pair of you have been there before.” Each
man smiled and nodded, eager for the ride, for the hunt, to be on a mission facing
danger is where they belonged, not cooped up inside castle walls. They were ready.

“Ok then, saddle up! Archer, you have the packhorse! “Today, we have a cause we
ride for!” Talonn rallied, “Today we have a vision, let no man nor beast take that vision
away from us! And as always, today is a good day to die if the gods will it! Let’s
Ride!” Talonn exploded through the front gates; the soldiers, who wanted them dead
yesterday, saluted them today. Tendersoul by his side, they had renewed strength; all in
tow matched their commander’s lead and off they rode. Thunder cracked up from the
earth, dust rose from the ground, whispering perhaps the fate of these brave warriors.

Soon all was as so quiet one could hear the ravens overhead; the gates to Andor’s
world were closed and secured.

“May the gods be with you on this one, Talonn; may the gods watch over you and your
wife and grant you Godspeed, my friend. You are going to need it….”

Out of the shadows came Ilexon. “We have to talk,” he said.

                                      **~**~**~**~**~**~**
Author’s Note:

Thank you for taking the time to read The Land of Magic. The sequel is being crafted
as you read this.

The Land of Magic

RjsWritingLoft.Com

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A fantasy fiction tale of wizards, knights, orcs and a battle for power.......

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amateur writer who never quit."
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