Niki Forloe watched the short, wiry boy approaching the shack with a self-assured saunter, his dark brown hair blowing gently in the breeze. His brown eyes darted left and right, not for fear of anyone sneaking up on him, but as if to assure himself that the rabble kept its distance. Niki laughed to herself. Fredrik Wason was the rabble as far as anyone else was concerned, but Fredrik always maintained the air of being superior. The buxom young girl hoped that His Highness managed to steal some food this time. Any less to eat and Niki would start losing her figure and that was unacceptable. If Fredrik couldn’t start taking care of her like the Princess she should be, she would find somebody who could. Niki waved her hand in the air and the door to the shack slid open smoothly allowing the young boy to enter. Fredrik glided in and placed a turkey on the table.
“A twelve pound tom,” Fredrik proudly exclaimed, “and already stuffed and cooked to perfection.”
“What about vegetables?” complained Niki. “Meat by itself is not good for the digestion. Honestly, Fredrik, you promised that we would be living like royalty and all you can do is pinch a turkey.”
Fredrik turned and frowned at the young redhead. Her curly hair was neatly combed, but the blue satin dress was obviously a poor fit. “You shouldn’t be using magic for such mundane things as opening doors,” he scolded. “One of these days somebody will detect you using magic and there will be the demon to pay for it. If you must use magic so often, why don’t you use it to make your dress fit better.”
“The nerve of you ordering me around,” she protested. “I’m not a bloody seamstress. I’m a princess and I demand to be treated as one. Look at this shack! Is this the type of palace that a princess belongs in? If I didn’t use my magic, I wouldn’t even have a dress to need altering.”
“Quite true,” Fredrik laughed, “but you didn’t have to leave the poor woman in the street naked, did you?”
Niki laughed too. “Probably not,” she admitted, “but it certainly made a convenient diversion. Nobody was watching us get away. Really, though, Fredrik, this place is not to my liking. I deserve better, much better.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” conceded Fredrik, “but is it my fault that Forgum has been overrun by rogue armies? Too many people knew us in Trekum and you got us run out of Caldar by tossing all of those guardsmen around like toy soldiers.”
“They were toy soldiers,” Niki insisted. “Besides, I refuse to put up with their insolent behavior. Just because I’m smaller than them, they think they can have their way with me. Well, they hadn’t reckoned with who I am. They’ll think twice at accosting a woman again.”
“I’m sure they will,” sighed Fredrik. Niki was Fredrik’s only friend, but there were times when he wondered why women had to be so pushy. She seemed to delight in impressing people with her magic, mindless of the possible repercussions if the wrong people knew of her ability. The only place for a magician today was in the Black Devils serving the Dark One and Fredrik had no desire to serve anyone. Anyone found with the ability was given a choice of joining the Black Devils or dying. The only exception might be to endear yourself to one of the great armies. They would welcome the skill and give some measure of protection against the Black Devils, but that option also entailed serving someone. Fredrik wished Niki wouldn’t live so dangerously.
“What are you thinking about?” quizzed Niki as she cut slabs of turkey to put on the two plates.
Fredrik snapped his head around and realized that his mind had been far away. “Oh, I was just thinking that maybe we should head for the next town north. Perhaps it will not be destroyed like this one. Cidal is a good-sized town and should present some better opportunities.”
“Is there a palace there?” Niki inquired. “You haven’t forgotten your promise to make me a queen have you?”
“I didn’t promise to make you a queen,” Fredrik reminded her. “I said I could see you in a palace someday.”
“It’s the same thing,” insisted Niki. “Let’s eat this while it’s hot, but next time try to remember some vegetables.”
“All right,” Fredrik agreed, “but in the morning we travel north again. Maybe Cidal does have a palace.” Niki actually brightened up at that statement and was eager to get to bed early so they could leave first thing in the morning.
The gray sky of morning came too soon for Fredrik, but he slid into his brown leather pants, tan woolen shirt, and brown leather vest. Quietly he stepped outside and strode down an alley that ran behind the businesses along the coastal highway. In a short time, he came to the stables behind one of the inns and spoke to the stable boy as he walked past.
“Can you believe it?” he asked. “After all these years, we finally have an Emperor again.”
The stable boy started running to catch up to him. “What do you mean, an Emperor?” he inquired. “You mean here in Forgum?”
Fredrik stopped and turned towards the boy. “Why, yes, haven’t you heard?” Fredrik asked in mocking shock. “He’s entering the town on the coastal road from the south at this very moment. Word is he’s looking for people to serve him in the new palace they are going to start building tomorrow. Forgum is going to be the capital. I’d like to stay and tell you more, but word is that only the first few to greet him will get the high-paying positions and I want to be one of them.”
“But you’re not much older than me,” protested the stable boy.
“The new Emperor likes his people to be young,” Fredrik insisted. “Sorry, but I’ve got to be moving along.”
Fredrik snickered to himself as he watched the stable boy’s reaction. The boy was looking around frantically to see if anyone would notice if he left his post. Fredrik continued sauntering down the alley and caught a flash as the stable boy went running between buildings to the highway. The fact that he didn’t run down the alley past Fredrik indicated that he was willing to take the extra chance of getting caught by the innkeeper to beat Fredrik to the Emperor. Fredrik smiled as he turned around and entered the stables. He quickly threw saddles on the two closest horses and led them along the alley back to the shack.
Although he hadn’t awakened her before slipping out, Niki was already packed and ready to go. “We need to hurry,” Fredrik simply said.
Niki needed no explanation and mounted one of the horses. Fredrik mounted the other horse and they headed out of town to the north. “How much of a lead do you suppose we have?” Niki calmly inquired as she inspected her face in a small round mirror that she had acquired in Trekum and greatly treasured.
“The boy won’t be too eager to admit he was so stupid,” Fredrik commented dryly. “Still, we will have an hour at the most, much less if the owners of the horses decide to leave. If we hear anything coming, we’ll cut into the woods and watch them pass. We can determine if they’re looking for us before we need to take a different path to get to Cidal.”
Fredrik looked admiringly at the dark green leather outfit that Niki wore today. Unlike the dress she wore last night, the leathers fit her exceedingly well. Of course, they should fit well considering the price he paid in Trekum. Fredrik had enjoyed life in Trekum, gambling with groups of guards and mercenaries who had too much pay to know what to do with. They had always considered Fredrik to have too much luck, but they enjoyed his company and they always liked it when he brought Niki along. Fredrik enjoyed the lifestyle of the old capital city, even if there were occasional times when someone got an overheated temper during a game. It had been one of those occasions that had forced them to leave Trekum. The guard had accused Fredrik of cheating again and Fredrik had laughed at him as he always did. The guard drew a dagger and was threatening Fredrik. All of this had happened before and Fredrik always dealt with it using words, but Niki had been along at that game and she did not realize that the threat was just the guard’s frustration at losing. She reacted instinctively and forced the guard’s dagger into his own stomach. The rest of the guards had leaped to their feet in anger and magic was the only way that Fredrik and Niki could survive long enough to get out of the city.
Then there was the incident in Caldar. Niki again had used magic to attack guards that she thought were getting overly friendly. Niki always seemed to resort to magic before trying any other way of handling things. It was a habit that Fredrik had to break her of if they were going to survive.
Fredrik’s thoughts were disrupted by the sounds of galloping horses coming from behind. “No illusions,” Fredrik warned as he and Niki turned quickly into the woods. They had no sooner secured cover, when a dozen Dark Riders appeared around a bend in the road and went thundering past. The pair sat silently for several long minutes listening as the sound of the galloping horses faded away.
“They certainly weren’t after a horse thief,” Niki whispered.
“No, they weren’t,” agreed Fredrik. “I’m glad I mentioned no illusions. Niki, I’ve been thinking about the dangers of using magic too quickly. It is surely going to get us killed. I think this incident helps to illustrate how easily we could slip up. We were expecting someone after us because of the horses, so we had time to hide, but we cannot always expect to be lucky. We have to start being more careful.”
“Careful?” snorted Niki. “Do you mean like being careful when the guard in Trekum was going to gut you? Magic is a skill just like wielding a sword. It is only being smart to use it when you are endangered.”
“But sometimes using it can endanger you,” Fredrik insisted. “I only ask that you think of some other way before you resort to magic. Detection can mean death.”
Niki sniffed and turned her horse towards the road. Fredrik clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but he followed her and soon the pair were back on their way to Cidal. They rode on in silence for several hours, encountering no other traffic on the road. Eventually, they decided to stop early for the night and worked their way down to the coast where they found a quiet clearing close to beach. Niki jumped off her horse and announced that she was going for a swim. Fredrik quickly grabbed the reins of her horse and sighed.
Fredrik went about taking care of the horses and setting up the campsite before he decided to check out the beach. Niki was frolicking naked in the surf, but what caught Fredrik’s attention was the beautiful, wide beach. There was a point sticking out directly to his right, but on his left was a sweeping wide, white sand and shell strip stretching northward for miles. The lines of shells stretching along the beach culminated in a large mound of shells near the point. The beach in Trekum was much narrower and people walking on them constantly crushed any shells there.
Fredrik walked down to the point and saw another long, uninhabited stretch of beach with palm trees leaning over it as if trying to reach the sea. He started poking the piles of shells and marveled at all the different types. For a long time all of his problems were nonexistent as he examined shell after shell, until Niki's screams rang through the air.
Fredrik jumped to his feet and looked around the shell pile. Niki was standing waist deep in the water and using magic to deflect a rain of arrows heading towards her. Across the white strand of beach near the tree line were four men with bows sending arrows at Niki as fast as they could load. Niki was too busy deflecting arrows to cast any other spell at the men. Fredrik stood tall with his hands outstretched and felt the power begin to well up. The power filling him had an intoxicating effect and he had to focus his mind back on the men. He had already soaked in enough power to obliterate them several times over. Without further thought, he flicked his wrists and the sky crackled open and a huge streak of lightning arced down and struck in the middle of the four men.
Niki stopped screaming and came out of the water and Fredrik ran to her. Together they stared at the massive crater that marked the spot where the men had stood. There was nothing left of the men. Where they had stood was a glowing depression with walls of heated glass. The palm trees on either side of the hole were scorched black and the fronds were burning brightly and dropping to the ground. Several coconuts hissed and burst apart, throwing chunks of coconut meat flying.
“Get dressed,” Fredrik ordered. “We need to get out of here now! The force I used was too much by far and it could probably be felt for miles around. I don’t want to be anywhere near here when someone decides to investigate.”
Niki got dressed while Fredrik swept up the campsite and hastily packed it away. When Niki mounted, Fredrik handed her the reins for two of the horses the men had ridden. He took the other two and they headed north by way of a trail through the woods.
After they had ridden for a while, Niki broke the silence. “You killed them, Fredrik. You didn’t try to stun them or freeze them; you just killed them. I didn’t know you had such power.”
“I didn’t know, either,” admitted Fredrik. “I’ve never used magic that powerful before. I only planned to stun them, but I couldn’t stop drawing power. I was so angry that I just grabbed for the power and it
… it felt good. Sort of like warmth flowing into your body on a cold winter night. I had to work at it to stop drawing the power and start using it. I was more surprised than you with what happened.”
They were quiet for a while with only the sounds of lapping waves off to their right and the birds flitting around overhead, chirping and cawing. “I didn’t mean to kill them,” Fredrik continued, “but I couldn’t let them hurt you. “Besides, there is no undoing it now. I do think that we need to practice our magic more, though, and we cannot do that in a city. Without practice we will not have the proper control we need to measure our responses to threats. I think we have probably gone far enough away from the crater to safely camp for the night.”
Niki just nodded and started looking for a clearing. Fairly soon, she found a suitable one and dismounted. This time she helped Fredrik set up the campsite and take care of the horses. They dined on some of the leftover turkey and sat quietly across the campfire from each other. “What did you mean before when you talked about drawing the power?” she asked. “Drawing it from where?”
Fredrik got up, walked around the fire and sat next to her. “When I was younger and realized that I had a special gift, I used to use it for pranks. I didn’t know much about what I had or how to use it, so most of the time the prank ended up being on me. One day I heard some men talking about the magicians of the Black Devils, so I followed them. They had a house on the edge of Trekum that they used for a meeting place and a spot for them to practice. For months, I used to go to the house before light came and climb up on the roof. I would watch them all day and listen to their meetings until well after dark. That is where I learned most about magic.”
“It’s probably where you gained your dislike for the Black Devils, too,” guessed Niki.
“Yes, that too,” admitted Fredrik. “They all talked boldly about how great they were when no one was around, but as soon as somebody important showed up, they were all down on their faces in fear, bowing and scraping. There didn’t seem to be any purpose in belonging to the Black Devils except to learn and I was getting that anyway. The only thing they seemed to do in an organized fashion was to send out teams to punish selected people or go in teams on the Great Hunt.”
“What is the Great Hunt?” interrupted Niki.
“That was the worst part,” sighed Fredrik. “The Great Hunt was an edict handed down by the Dark One. The Black Devils are supposed to be looking for children who were born in the year of the Collapse.”
“But that’s when we were born,” stated Niki. “What did they want with kids our age?”
“Death, mostly,” answered Fredrik. “It seems there is some old, moldy prophecy that the Dark One wants fulfilled and it requires the death of a couple of kids born in the year of the Collapse. Not just any kids, but two particular kids. The members of the Great Hunt were to determine the parentage of the individuals found. If they had a certain parentage, they were to be captured alive. If not, they were to be murdered, just in case they might miss the real ones that they were searching for.”
“Now I know why you are dreadfully afraid of being discovered by the Black Devils,” interjected. “Why didn’t you tell me that before? At least your demand that I not use magic so frivolously would have made sense.”
“Would you have stopped using it?” he asked.
“Probably not,” she conceded, “but at least your request would make sense. That still doesn’t explain about drawing power and why you never taught me to do it. You taught me everything else.”
“Exactly,” Fredrik laughed, “and look what trouble that has brought me.” Fredrik ignored her hurt scowl and continued. “One of the things that I learned up on the roof, was that power exists in everything, not just ourselves. You can use the power within yourself to accomplish something, but it diminishes you like running makes you tired and requires that you rest. If you can draw your power from other things, you can use your power longer and more forcefully. I didn’t feel right teaching you about it, because I’ve never really learned to use it myself. I tried it once and it was frightening. I thought I was going to burst open like a ripe melon.”
“But if we are going to have to defend ourselves against the Black Devils, we will need every edge we can get,” Niki stated.
“It’s not that simple, Niki,” Fredrik declared. “Not every magician can draw on the power of other things. It is almost like another gift in addition to the magical gift, but I’m not sure. I do know that most of the Black Devils were unable to attain any power outside themselves, at least the bunch that I observed. What we really need to find is a tutor who is not connected with the Black Devils.”
“Fat chance of finding one,” she said disappointingly. “Still, you could teach me or test me to see if I have the potential.”
“No,” Fredrik said too loudly. Softer, he continued, “I don’t feel safe using it, Niki. I would not forgive myself if I taught you and you blew up. After we get settled in Cidal, we will put feelers out for tutors, but in such a way that will not lead back to us.”
“You just don’t want me being as powerful as you,” she berated, “
… or more powerful. Well, if you won’t teach me, I’ll just find someone who will.”
Niki went and lay down on a blanket to go to sleep, covering herself with her old cloak, a white cloak with gold trim and a sunburst upon the left breast. Within moments she was asleep. Fredrik sat staring at her for a long time. She was a very beautiful girl with her flaming red hair and pert nose, but sometimes he wished he were traveling alone. She never seemed to listen to reason and never missed an opportunity to punish him with silence at some unseen offense he was supposed to have committed. Eventually, Fredrik went to bed still mystified about the ways of women.
The next day the pair wound their way back to the coastal highway and towards Cidal. There was very little traffic on the road and the people they passed did no more than acknowledge the couple. Several days later they reached the outskirts of Cidal and immediately proceeded to a less traveled street. Like most towns, there were some abandoned houses and Fredrik picked the one that seemed to be in the best shape and yet out of the way. They did pick up a few strange glares entering the house, but most people were afraid to say anything to strangers. Still, they could not stay here long before somebody reported their presence in the house to whoever passed as the authorities in Cidal.
After they got settled in, Fredrik went out alone to see what the town was like. Cidal was in much better shape than Forgum as no army had yet ravaged it. There was a fair amount of people and the businesses seemed to be doing rather well. Fredrik visited some of the inns, always blending in and keeping to the shadows, and picked up the local rumors. There was a local organization of mercenaries, which probably accounted for the fact that Cidal had not been plundered yet. The most important piece of information was of the Black Devils who had left town this morning. They had obviously killed an old sea captain and taken over his mansion while in Cidal. Fredrik learned the name of the sea captain and hurried back to Niki. Within moments, Fredrik and Niki were back out of town in the woods where they dressed in their finest outfits. Fredrik was dressed in gray flannel breeches with a fine white shirt whose wrinkles were covered by a gray flannel vest. Niki donned a violet silk dress with white frilled sleeves and a lavender sash around her waist.
Once suitably attired, the pair strode into town with Fredrik leading the train of six horses. This time everyone turned and stared at them as they walked along the coastal highway. Niki walked right up to a group of mercenaries that seemed to include an officer or at least someone whom the others deferred to. The men all stared at her and she had to push back images of drooling dogs else she would ruin her entrance.
“Excuse me, kind Sir,” she cooed, “but we are just in from Trekum and I am seeking my uncle, Amos Alrecht. “Could you possibly direct me? We’ve had such a dreadful journey with the wagon burning and all and I really wish to make an early night of it.”
The smiling faces all grew dim at the mention of the old sea captain and most of the group melted away. The authoritative man remained and appraised her. “Your uncle, you say?” he asked. “Old Amos never mentioned any kin to me.”
Niki had to strain her neck to look up at the man. “Well, that is quite a minor problem, Sir. I can assure you that I am his niece as I am sure he will also attest, but that is no concern of yours. I am merely asking for directions to his home so I might settle in with my brother.”
The man appeared suitably rebuffed, but eventually nodded. “All right, Mistress Alrecht, I can show you to his home, but you won’t be finding old Amos there, I’m afraid.”
“Well, if he is not in, I am sure he will return soon, Sir,” she smiled. “He is, after all, expecting us.”
“It is not that he is out, Mistress,” the man frowned. “Old Amos was killed a few days ago by Black Devils. They claimed he was a sorcerer. When we found out, it was too late to do anything for Amos and it didn’t make much sense to start a war with the Black Devils over something that could not be undone.”
The man lowered his head sheepishly; obviously ashamed of letting the Black Devils have their way within his domain. Niki collapsed in the street and Fredrik let go of the horses and rushed to her aid. He frowned up at the mercenary, but nodded at the man. “It’s all right, Sir,” Fredrik added. “Similar tragedies have occurred in the South as well. I’m sure you and your men would have done something if you had known before it happened. Could you have some of your men grab our horses and help us to his house?”
The man was only too eager to help Amos’ kin after not avenging his death. Fredrik and Niki allowed the men to fawn over them and see them safely put into Amos’ mansion. The head mercenary introduced them to the servants and scowled at any objections to the youngsters moving in. By the time the mercenary left, the servants were satisfactorily cowed to accept their new Lord and Lady.