The Currents of Magic

Chapter Forty-Seven

 For the next few hours they traveled northwest through the woods. According to Damian, north of Eldrin's Dale was a large road leading west across Ilith, and their goal was to reach it as quickly as possible while avoiding Lampern. They struck a northerly route, turning sharply left every few minutes to navigate around the enchantment shield of the Dale. During such directional reorientations, Damian would consult a small magical compass, which glowed in the direction of north, but the faint aura was the only source of light as they proceeded through the darkness at a cautious pace.

Still, after an hour of stubbing toes and getting scratched by stray branches, they decided to cast light charms, and though Meyer did not say so aloud, he reasoned that speed was more important than stealth. Finally they emerged from the trees and found themselves on a smooth road made of large stone slabs. It cleaved through the woods in a straight line, disappearing into the night.

"Ormis is only thirty miles to the east," said Damian, peering into the darkness.

"And you want to go there?" said Meyer.

"If the city hasn't fallen to the Magician we might be able to find transport from there to the Great Realms."

Meyer had a gnawing feeling Ormis would not be hospitable, but he kept his thoughts to himself. "But aren't the great realms to the west," he said.

"Yes," said Damian, his voice shaky. "But it's a long way to the Great Realms... At least three hundred miles...

Meyer shivered, already feeling uncomfortable standing on the side of the open road. "Then we'd better get started."

Damian said nothing, but turned west; they had only gone a few yards when he suggest they cast speed charms on themselves. Meyer agreed, and moments later he was sprinting down the open road, a cool breeze rushing past his face; for a few minutes he ran freely, the open air washing away his fear.

Unfortunately the sense of freedom was short lived. Soon Damian's speed charm faltered and went out, and though he recast it, the charm lasted for even less time. A half hour later Damian was having difficulty casting the charm at all, and even Meyer had found himself struggling to hold the charm, the Currents, which usually flowed through him smoothly, moving in sporadic fits and bursts.

And so they fell into a pattern of walking for a half hour, and then using a speed charm to sprint in short bursts for a quarter hour. Every time they switched between walking and sprinting Damian would cast a listening enhancement charm and Meyer would cast a detect-person charm, but neither he nor Damian noticed any irregularities.

At one stop Damian mentioned fearfully that a capable sorcerer could easily cloak himself from both their charms, but Meyer insisted they keep casting the charms. He silently hoped that Damian realized that they weren't attempting to discover sorcerers. They were casting detection charms to spot servants of the Magician: troops, scouts, unliving, or whatever other abominations there might be.

Finally morning broke on the horizon, and Meyer called for a stop. They turned off the path, the gray light of dawn revealing a landscape dotted with small patches of trees, but otherwise covered in yellow grass, bushes and stones. They walked until they found a cluster of a few dozen trees, at which point the road had completely blended into the surrounding behind them.

"I'd say this is as good as anywhere," said Meyer throwing down his pack.

"How long are we stopping?" asked Damian.

"Let's break until noon," said Meyer. "Traveling by day should be safer," he added, his thoughts straying to the unliving. He had the unfounded feeling that the deadly creatures were at least partially nocturnal.