(Path of the Dragon Mage: Exile) 45. Go Back (Patreon)

Corvus was less cautious about sneaking out than usual, but he didn't intend to be brazen about it. He slipped out of his bedroom window instead of heading out the front door.

As usual, he took the bag of holding with the egg and several items tucked neatly inside.

Crossing the courtyard, he went to the stables to saddle Merry-Rose. Speed would be his friend tonight. The village gate would be shut, but if Larissa was on shift she would see him coming. Either she would meet him herself, or invent an excuse to smuggle him in. Worst case, he would wait until the break of dawn and reenter the village with the merchants. It had worked last time. In any case, he was not leaving until he had those moon essences for the egg. He would trade anything in his pack, give whatever coin Larissa requested in exchange. He had to have them.

He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the other presence in the stables until he'd shut the door.

Movement shifted in the shadows, caught in the corner of his eye. Corvus whirled. His hand fell to his belt where he had hidden one of the needle-knives, ready to push in mana to charge it—

"Corvus? That you?"

The harsh feminine whisper stilled his hand. Corvus breathed out in relief. His Night Vision sharpened in the gloom and the dark shape revealed itself to be... NightShade?

"Gwen?" he asked, voice cracking up an octave. He swallowed, cleared his throat, and tried again. "What are you doing here?"

He should have expected what happened next. It was Gwen, after all. At the sound of his voice the girl had come around from behind her horse and thrown her arms around him in a big hug.

He patted her awkwardly. When she stepped back, her expression was troubled. "I came to leave you a note. I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Why? What's happened?"

Gwen turned and spit to the side. "Draft's come. My Dad's moving the clan before the king's men set sight on our men and women."

"You're running from the draft?" Corvus could not quite keep the disapproval out of his voice.

She scowled at him. "'Course not. We always give our share to the kingdom, but some of them officers get greedy, thinking they can have the people as well as the horses—Ugh, come over here. I hate talking in the dark like this. Gives me the shivers."

She took his wrist and pulled him around NightShade. As he passed, the large stallion bent and lipped playfully at his shoulder. He pushed the soft nose away, then gave NightShade's forehead a pat.

Gwen, meanwhile, bent and unshielded a small lamp she must have brought with her. Instantly, the stables filled with a soft light. Corvus's Night Vision was shot, but Gwen looked visibly relieved.

"That's better."

He crossed his arms. "I don't understand. Your father packing up all his people sounds like running away to me."

"Only because the king's men take more than they ought." Her hand fell to NightShade's neck as if for reassurance. "The Horsefolk have an agreement with the King: We provide the horses... enough to make up taxes and draft."

"I thought your horses bond with your people."

She shrugged. "Not all of them want to have to take care of a person their whole lives. Nightshade's got a filly who's been thinking of going to battle. Mountain Heavy's have a fighting spirit, and it's an exciting life. They get treated well — we know when they aren't. And when the horses get old they can retire back in the clan herds with honor."

"So you send the horses to the kingdom in place of your people?"

She laughed at that. "The horses are our people."

NightShade snorted and bobbed his great head in a nod. 

"Oh." His gathering indignation left him in a rush, leaving him deflated.

Gwen continued, "We know our duty and we contribute, but we don't let them take more than their share. Them greedy officers see our war-age men and women and think they have a right to them. So we move on when they come around." She looked sorrowful. "That's why I've come to say goodbye. Dad says we might not be back to these parts until this time next year."

Corvus swallowed down a burst of emotion. It tasted like grief. "It won't matter. Solt says I'm going to the war."

Gwen's eyes widened. She gripped his forearm so tightly he felt the nails dig in past the fabric of his shirt. "But you can't! You're just a kid."

Stung, he shook his arm free. "I'm old enough for the draft."

"You don't have to. Come with us! I know Dad made the offer, and you should. We have families happy to take a strong boy in, or if you wanted a tent to yourself I'm sure my dad—"

"I can't." He didn't mean the words to come out nearly as harsh as they did. Gwen took a step back, a flash of hurt crossing her face. Next to her, NightShade nickered a warning.

Corvus tried again. "Your offer is... generous, but I have a duty to the kingdom. I can charge rune weapons. I can make a difference in the war."

"You don't know that! Not everyone thinks hedge-witches are good. What if... what if...?" She couldn't bring herself to finish.

"I'll have to take that chance. Or I'll be a soldier and no one has to know who's charging the runes. I'll be careful—"

Abruptly, she threw herself at him again, hugging him desperately. "You'd better be!" Her voice was fierce and when she let go of him it was to wipe tears away from her eyes. But her face was set into fearsome lines.

"Come with me, back to the village tonight. NightShade will speak to the herds on your behalf.  I know CloudStrike will, too. We'll find someone to go with you. You..." Her voice wobbled before she visibly steeled herself. "You two can take care of one another."

"You mean… take one of your horses? But Kale said only ones with horsemen blood can bond."

"It won't be a bond. Our horses take care of soldiers all the time. It's the same thing."

Mountain Heavy's were prized in the army — even sheltered from the war as he'd been, he knew that much.

"Solt wanted me to take Merry-Rose," he said reluctantly. 

Gwen looked like she was struggling not to laugh in his face. "Merry-Rose is a... nice mare, I'm sure. But she won't be happy in battle."

Corvus wanted to argue, but she was right. The image of himself, riding on one of the beautiful, strong, eerily intelligent, beasts was tempting. If the horse only listened to him, the officers might be forced to put him in a calvary unit. That would be preferable to a foot soldier or messenger boy.

But as he opened his mouth to agree, he felt it again: That curious pulling sensation. As if he stood at a juncture between two paths.

That was twice tonight. This was an important day. He felt, without knowing why, that his choices tonight would help define who he became in the future.

And once again, he knew which path he should take.

"I can't go with you," he said heavily, touching his bag. "I have to go to Duckwater Village tonight. I should have already left."

Her face fell. "Why?"

"It's... a long story, but I just discovered that there's a certain type of essence which helps strengthen my dragon egg." He paused. "Essences are—"

"I know what essences are," Gwen said impatiently. "What kind do you need?"

That tripped him up for a moment, but he decided to roll with it. "Moon, but if you have access to any other I'd be willing to give it a try."

"No, essences are rare. The mares sometimes will drop a companion essence, the same time they drop their foal or filly in birth. They're given back to the baby — makes them grow strong. NightShade got one." She patted his neck again.

"Well, moon essences help strengthen my dragon egg, and I have a friend in the village who has a number of them. I have to get to her, and return before Solt thinks I've run away."

Gwen rolled her shoulder in an inelegant shrug. "That's fine. NightShade can get us to the village, then we'll go to the clan. We'll get back in time."

"Even riding double?"

She nodded. "He's much stronger than some horse. Sorry, Merry-rose," she said to the mare. She might as well not have bothered. Merry-rose appeared to be sleeping. "I don’t think we'll make it back here by daybreak, but when you do return you'll be on one of our mounts, so your master probably won't mind."

"Why?" Corvus asked. "Why are you doing this for me? It's not that I don't appreciate it, and I know we're friends, but this is too much."

She looked serious again. "No, it isn't. You gave my brother a future and all we gave you is a crummy pamphlet of runes. And yeah, you're our friend. In the clan, friends take care of one another. Let me take care of you."

He felt... he wasn't sure how he felt. No one had taken care of him. Not even his parents. Was this what he'd been missing for so long by not having friends? People who cared?

"Okay," he said, voice weak. "Okay."

* * *

Gwen rode bareback, of course. So Corvus had to as well. Before, when he'd ridden with NightShade through the brush it had been at a slow walking pace. Now the stallion was at a canter.

His fears of falling were quickly assuaged. Merry-Roses' canter was a bumpy, jarring experience. NightShade moved like liquid darkness, muscles bunching and unbunching in a rolling gait that kept his back level.

Corvus held to Gwen's shoulders for stability, but not once did he feel he was going to fall off.

The riding experience was good. He managed to gain a level in his oft-neglected Horse-riding skill, too.

Ding!

You have increased your Horse Riding skill

New level: Beginner 5


Huh. He reached beginner 5 without an option to roll it into a general skill or any other reward. Well, he couldn't expect it every time.

Another difference between NightShade and any other mount was that Gwen didn't direct her horse at all. She held the reigns attached to his hackamore — Horsefolk didn't use bits — but NightShade was the one who knew the way to the village.

And the path he chose did not include the traditional roads.

They dove through the tall sagebrush, ran along thin footpaths and trails, ducking here and there when a branch came along to try to sweep them aside. NightShade was more aware of this danger than a normal horse and seemed to warn Gwen ahead of time. Corvus's Night Vision kept him safe.

"Why don't we take the roads?" he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the sounds of hoofs, the rush of air, and snapping branches.

"Because there are people on the roads!" Gwen called back. She sounded happy — even though they would soon part, and she was sending her friend off, it was clear that she found nothing but joy on a horse's back.

NightShade had more endurance than Corvus thought possible — slowing to a walk only for a few short rests, or to navigate particularly tight turns. They found themselves near to the village close to midnight.

Not that Corvus could tell where they were in the thick brush. NightShade slowed to a walk, then a stop, his ears swiveling.

"We're close. The Sage breaks into the clearing just ahead," Gwen said.

The area around the village was cleared before the wall, Corvus remembered. That meant they were well within Larissa's sight. No doubt she had some trick to see through sagebrush as she did most everything else.

Corvus nodded and dismounted. Gwen followed, speaking softly to NightShade to stay back. She caught up with him.

"Don't they close the gates at night?"

"Larissa will let me in," Corvus said. "Or she will come and meet me herself. She's... very blunt. Please don't take offense to anything she says."

"Larissa?" Gwen repeated. "Larissa who? A merchant girl?"

"She's the village's Long-Eyes."

Gwen stumbled in place. "One of the guards took a shine to you? Really?" She almost sounded delighted. "Do you think she'd let someone like me in the village at night, too? I'd like to see how the merchants close up their shops."

Too late, Corvus remembered that Roan was an outright poacher and the Horsefolk, in general, had a rather... loose moral code. 

"She is the Long-Eyes," he repeated. "She can see people from miles out—probably what's in their pockets, too."

Undaunted, Gwen pressed, "Is that why she likes you? She saw you were a p—" She seemed to remember not to speak the word, "Who you were?"

There was no way he could explain the Paths to her. "We have a lot in common."

"Humph."

Gwen seemed put out for a reason he couldn't place, but she fell silent as they made their way through the last of the brush.

The trail ended just as Corvus remembered, leaving a field that ran up to the foot of the wall. It was far too distant to see if there were any guards stationed at the top. Squinting, Corvus stepped out and then waved an arm. 

Now that he was here, his idea felt foolish. He had no idea of Larissa's true capabilities. What if she weren't on duty tonight? Or what if she were looking in the wrong direction?

He was one person in a vast border surrounding the village. It was still night dark, and—

THUNK.

Something landed a foot away from the toe of his left boot. It struck the ground so hard that it threw clods of soil up in all directions. Corvus threw his hands up and ducked away. Gwen did the same.

"What was that?" she hissed, looking blindly about. He had to remind himself that her night sight was human-normal. She only had the moon and stars to guide herself by.

He, however, saw what happened right away.

"It's a knife." He breathed, stepping back to where there was now a good-sized hole in the dirt. Sticking out of the bottom was a kunai... and there was a slip of parchment tied to the handle.

"A... what?" Gwen asked.

"Larissa sent a message." She must have thrown it all the way from the wall. It was so far away he couldn't see anyone atop it, yet she'd delivered it with pinpoint accuracy.

He had to stop underestimating her.

Bending, Corvus untied the message before he pocketed the knife.

"What do you mean?" Gwen looked frantically from the wall to the knife Corvus held and back again. "She...threw that knife to you? That's impossible!"

Corvus ignored her. He skimmed the message and felt the blood drain from his face.

Gwen must have noticed something was wrong. Her fingers touched his wrist. "What?"

He read it aloud, partially for her sake, partially for his own... because he didn't want to believe it.

"A platoon of armed calvary left at dusk. I couldn't stop them without revealing myself. They are headed for General Solt's estate. Forgive me."

He looked at Gwen.

"We have to go back."

A/N: Okay, that cliff was intentional. ;)