Tak

The War Wizard - Part 6

     They reached the Plains of Marebo at around midday the next day, and Gal-Gowan's war home hung back a few miles, surrounded by the bulk of his army, while a couple of regiments went forward to check out the area. Evidently, the red wizard wasn't as sure of his opponent's honour as he'd said and wanted to be sure they hadn't prepared any nasty surprises for them. At mid afternoon, though, the Captain of the vanguard returned to report that the ground was safe for occupancy and the main body of the army moved forward.

     The Plains of Marebo were a vast flood plain flanking the silver thread of the river Marebo they could just see in the hazy distance. It was a hot day. The rich, fertile ground was hard and dry and the wagon bounced and rattled across the waving grassland as the red wizard looked for a good spot on which to dispose his forces.

     Tak stared about in fascination, struck by the similarity with the Borderlands and wondering whether anyone lived here. Surely such fertile land had to be occupied by someone. Nowhere he looked could he see any sign of human occupancy, though. Not a cabin or a road or a stone wall. He didn't know that the river Marebo flooded every spring, covering the plains with six feet of muddy water, and that the rest of the year the verdant grasslands were grazed by vast herds of cattle owned by the homesteaders living on higher ground. Those herds had been rounded up when it became obvious that a battle was going to be fought there, and now only the occasional dry cow pat remained to testify to their existence.

     "There they are," cried Barl.

     Tak followed his pointing finger to see the camp of the enemy army. Hundreds of gaily coloured tents, pennants flying, arrayed on a dozen acres of slightly higher ground on which a few straggly shrubs grew.

     "They got the high ground," muttered Gal-Gowan, "but they can't stay up there if they want to fight us. We'll have to make them come to us." He signaled for his War Marshals to come to him and climbed down to talk to them, pointing to a spread of land two miles from the enemy encampment. The War Marshals saluted and galloped off to pass the orders on to their men.

     "Riders coming in!" cried a lookout, and all three wizards stood to stare in the indicated direction. Three horsemen were riding hard in their direction, and Tak noted with surprise that two of them were women. That was surprising enough, but one of them seemed to have a black face and Tak could only stare in astonishment as she drew nearer, wondering what kind of horrible skin disease she was suffering from.

     "Ehr Laing," said Gal-Gowan, recognising the other woman. A fiery looking redhead who looked to be in her mid forties. "And she's brought Cuthbert and Sheena. That gives us six wizards to their five."

     "Wizards?" gasped Tak in astonishment. "Female wizards?"

     Gal-Gowan laughed derisively. "You really are a know nothing, aren't you? Well, you'll learn something tomorrow or you'll die. Know nothings don't last long in battle." He jumped down off the wagon to welcome the new arrivals.

     "They're also in thrall to Khalkedon," said Barl, seeing the hurt look on Tak's face. "And so is Gal-Gowan, although he pretends to be better than the rest of us. We're all equals in slavery, don't forget that." Tak gave him a weak smile of gratitude.

     "The redhead's Ehr Laing Tara-Ja," continued Barl. "She's mistress of Kelm Keep and Sheena Kun's her apprentice. The man's Cuthbert Krell and he's lord of the Hordes of Khos. He'll have brought a legion of Khos with him, probably waiting back at the fords."

     "What's wrong with her face?" gasped Tak, unable to take his eyes off the black woman whose hair had been bound into a painfully tight ponytail that she carried looped around one shoulder. He could now see that her arms and hands were the same colour, except for her palms that glared a lighter brown in comparison.

     Barl laughed. "They all look like that in her country. They call themselves Norians and they live in the far south east, along the Iron Coast. She's said to be a gifted wizard."

     Tak just kept on staring, knowing he was being rude but unable to help it. Fortunately, if the woman noticed she gave no indication she was offended by it.

     After a brief conversation with the red wizard, the three newcomers approached the wagon and Tak and Barl climbed down to meet them. They nodded a greeting to Barl, knowing him from previous meetings, but they stared curiously at Tak. Sizing him up, trying to get the measure of him.

     "So you're old Gomm's apprentice," said Cuthbert after a moment. There was a waxy look to his skin that Tak didn’t like much, and he had a red rash across the side of his nose. "I've heard good things about you. I hope you're able to live up to your reputation."

     "I had no idea I had a reputation," replied Tak, a little mystified.

     The unhealthy looking wizard laughed. Unhealthy looking, but he seemed to have plenty of energy. "All wizards have reputations. Didn't you know that? Gal-Gowan entertained the rest of us with the tale of what happened during the conjuration of Vassago, and Khalkedon himself was watching when you saw off those men from that village. See all those men out there?" He waved a thin, yellow hand to take in the camped army. "This time tomorrow they'll all be telling of your deeds on the battlefield. Either your glorious victories or your humiliating defeat. All wizards are renowned far and wide. Even you."

     "I wouldn't say I was renowned," replied Tak, however. "The villagers living near my castle avoid me as if I were a plague carrier, except for their occasional ventures to try and burn me out. It's not as if I've ever done anything to harm them, either. Quite the contrary, in fact."

     "Take my advice and punish them hard if they dare raise a hand against you," said Cuthbert, nodding wisely to himself and scratching an itch on his arm. "Sounds as if you've got their respect, and that's good, but lose that respect and you're finished. There's probably a ringleader who whips up the others. Am I right?"

     Tak nodded. "Although I've got no idea why he hates me so much."

     "Doesn't matter. If he's the troublemaker, kill him, and the more horrible and prolonged his death the better. The rest won't give you any trouble after that. You take it from me."

     "Thanks for the advice," said Tak, wondering whether he was serious. Could the sallow skinned wizard be having some kind of joke with him? There was no sign of humour in his eyes, though. The man was serious. Deadly serious.

     "I am Ehr Laing," said the redheaded woman, grinning as she reached out a hard, calloused hand which had a painfully hard grip when Tak took it. "This is Sheena, my apprentice." The black woman's handshake was equally firm. "Tell me, Tak. Do you prefer your bedmates to be male or female?"

     "Er, female," replied the younger wizard, who could feel his face turning crimson with embarrassment.

     Ehr Laing laughed with delight, however. "Excellent! Sheena will bed with you tonight, with our master's permission..." She glanced at Gal-Gowan, who shrugged indifferently. "And I will bed with the tireless Barl Hobson. When the war is won, maybe we will change partners, hey?"

     She laughed again and Tak glanced nervously at the black woman, to find her looking him over appraisingly. He blushed all over again, but found he was also trembling with excited anticipation. If you ignored the younger woman's unorthodox skin colour, she had an excellent body. Lithe and athletic. "I'll look forward to that," he said therefore.

     Sheena grinned wide, revealing a set of dazzling white teeth. "You better have stamina, little white man," she warned. "If you fall asleep before I do, I bite you hard on the face for all the world to see what a weakling you are."

     Both women laughed then, and remounted their horses to ride away. "Our tents are on the north side of the field," Ehr Laing called back. "With the red flags. Be there at sundown."

     Then they rode off, laughing to each other, while Gal-Gowan accompanied Cuthbert on a slow walk to discuss the coming battle.