AA3 26 - Patrol II (Patreon)

Verdan gathered Aether as the dart of light shone brilliantly and flew into the woods to their left, ending up just out of sight.

“Thanr bel,” Verdan conjured a tight bead of compressed fire into his hands before targeting the marker he’d placed on the hidden Darjee.

It was possible to make the fireball homing instead of the light, but it was easier to cast two two-word spells than to cast a single three-word one.

Screams of pain came from the woods as fire struck the score of hidden Darjee, followed by a chorus of angry howls.

The fireball had destroyed the light spell, but with the Darjee rushing out into the open, it was hardly needed any more.

Kai and the others had drawn their weapons and prepared themselves as soon as Verdan shouted an alarm, though their horses had reacted poorly to the sudden eruption of flames.

Verdan released the fire lance he’d been about to conjure and prepared an air blade spell instead. That would be far less likely to disturb the horses.

The last thing Verdan wanted was to unseat someone when they were about to be attacked.

While Kai, Padraig and the three warriors had drawn close-quarters weaponry, the other two had drawn their bows.

Fortunately, both the tracker and hunter used shortbows that they could wield on horseback, so they had arrows notched ready for the Darjee within moments.

Verdan’s spell had detected just over twenty Darjee initially. After the fireball, though, only fourteen came charging out onto the trail, two of them dropping immediately as they took an arrow to the chest.

The dog-faced Darjee snarled and raced to close the distance but were forced to dodge as Kai and the four Kranjir met their charge.

Three of the dozen Kranjir were ridden down, and an air blade from Verdan took down another as the two archers loosed a second shot each.

The remaining Darjee split up, half going to try and get Kai’s group before they could build up any speed and the rest going for Verdan and the two archers.

Several air blades and arrows later, not one of the Darjee were left standing.

Two of the horses had picked up minor wounds from the charge, but otherwise, they’d all come through untouched.

Verdan took a moment to give both horses a minor healing spell before motioning to the dead Darjee. “Well, this answers a few questions.”

“Indeed,” Kai said, looking thoughtful for a moment before turning to the tracker. “Can we find where their camp is?”

“It depends on what’s left after the fire,” the tracker said with a slight shrug before dismounting and passing the reins over to one of the others. “I’ll take a closer look.”

Verdan went along with the tracker to put out any lingering flames from his spell, leaving Kai and the others to deal with the bodies.

By the time they were done and the bodies had been moved off the road, the tracker had been able to find the path the savage creatures had taken.

Retracing their steps, they found their way to the Darjee camp, which was reminiscent of the one that Verdan had seen in the past.

The one they were looking at now, however, was clearly newly built. Much to their relief, there weren’t any trophies present, so it seemed this particular group had only just arrived.

“Perhaps it was a different group that attacked the farmstead. They could be cycling a few through,” Verdan said, noting the frown on Kai’s face.

“That isn’t their way. The local area would be the territory of the ones we just killed. It’s unlikely that another group would be present. Not impossible, but I doubt it.”

“Agreed, killing this group should keep the area safe for a time,” Padraig said with a tone of satisfaction that Verdan wished he could share.

No matter how good it was to deal with this group of Darjee, it was frustrating that they hadn’t been able to deal with these disappearances.

“We’ll have to report all this to the Keeper,” Verdan said, glancing up at the sun’s progress through the sky with a frown. “We need to get moving.”

They did a last search of the camp before leaving, Verdan making sure to burn everything before they left.

-**-

The journey back to the village was uneventful, and though they were slightly late, all was forgiven when they gave their report.

Verdan and Kai passed on their suspicion about something other than the Darjee being responsible for the attack, but there was little that Sebastian could do.

In the end, they simply had to take comfort in the fact that they had ended a threat to the local Kranjir, even if it hadn’t been the one they were looking for.

With their group safely returned, the caravan left the village, and they began the final leg of their journey.

-**-

The first few hours of their journey were quiet, all of them lost in their own thoughts.

For Verdan, the small fight with the Darjee had driven home that his idea about a new spell was definitely needed. 

His thoughts about energy and efficiency were still relevant, but what was driving him forward now was the idea of including an aspect of protection within the spell.

Verdan could have dealt with the charging Darjee by himself easily, but it would have required a larger spell, and if there were allies nearby, it limited his options.

He could use the Words he knew to create a wide range of effects, but the less familiar he was with it, the more Aether it would take.

No, it was better to design something he could use on a regular basis that would fit a number of situations.

Satisfied with his conclusion, Verdan started working on the concept and Words he would need.

While he worked, Verdan caught up on how things had gone with the others while they were on patrol.

Surprisingly, Hedda had had some success in their absence as she had located a group of Witches.

Apparently, they were based not far from where they were heading, in a purpose-built settlement just for Witches.

Verdan wasn’t sure that he liked the idea of corralling them all in together like that, but at least it would make things easier for Hedda.

Once the caravan arrived, Hedda had let him know that she would be leaving them to make the journey alone.

As much as Verdan wanted to object, he knew the Hex Witch could take care of herself, and they would be busy dealing with other matters.

At the very least, Verdan wanted to start making inroads into his research on the Vespa and why they were acting so strangely.

No doubt there would be other concerns as well, but he’d wait for those to reveal themselves on their arrival.

-**-

Despite their late departure, their destination came into sight just before nightfall, the setting sun painting its tall walls with deep shadows.

“Glarn, the seat of Clan Thrain and the anchor for the defence of the region,” Ciaran called out as he rode over to match pace with their wagon.

“An impressive city,” Verdan said honestly.

Glarn was as much a city as it was a fortress. That much was clear from the first moment Verdan could see it.

The city was built up against the first peak in the Steps of Govannon and stretched across a wide valley that led through the foothills around it.

Verdan had little knowledge of the geography of the region, but even from what he’d seen, it was clear that the quickest route north was through the valley the city occupied.

“It is hard to imagine the Darjee being able to threaten a place like this,” Verdan said, pointing to the tall walls and looming towers of the city.

“You’d be surprised what the war parties can achieve,” Ciaran said, a dark expression passing across his features before he shook it off. “In this case, though, you are right. The force they field against us is too weak to breach Glarn, but they can still burn our lands and kill our people.”

“Are you not able to strike at them directly or force a field battle?” 

“That is a matter that you should discuss with the Keeper,” Ciaran said, clearly uncomfortable with that line of questioning. “We will be there shortly. I must make arrangements for our arrival.”

Verdan watched Ciaran ride away before glancing over to see a slight frown on Kai’s face. “I take it that you see the issue here as well.”

“I do, and it’s concerning,” Kai said, his gaze lingering on the tall walls of the city. “We will have to speak with the Keeper once we arrive.”

With little else to do, they waited patiently as the caravan weaved its way through a large set of gates in the city wall.

As Verdan’s wagon passed through, they saw that the wall they’d seen was actually an exterior wall, and the city itself was a short distance further in, where the valley was slightly narrower.

Dozens of guards were present on the exterior wall, which Verdan subtly pointed out to Kai as they rolled past.

Yet more evidence that they needed a firm talk with Sebastian.