“I’m just happy that you’re all right. I want to thank you for being my ‘influencer’. You’re going to make a great Venefica, I just know it. Think of how many sick people you’ll help.”
Legon knew how much she enjoyed being a healer. It was something that she had always wanted to do. Laura had to almost restrain her from helping sick people in town. He let go of her. She smiled warmly at him and walked to Murray.
* * * * *
Arkin mounted Phaedra. He was feeling much better now that everything was out in the open. Sasha was reestablishing the mental network in preparation for leaving. There were now four Venefica and one non-user which, provided there wasn’t an Iumenta Dragon sent, put them in an excellent position. Yet more benefits of the network made themselves known to him. Even though Sasha and Sara had no magical training, they felt Legon use spells and, more important, had both his and Legon’s knowledge if needed. Both of them could fight and Arkin wouldn’t even need to teach them.
Arkin saw a flicker of purple surround them all, indicating that Legon had activated his wards; this was followed by green from his own. Before he had been using more passive concealment spells, but the ones in place now were meant for combat. With the network in place, most would be hard pressed to get past all of them.
He waited for Legon to check that the coast was clear. He marveled at just how adept Legon was with accessing the minds of hawks and eagles. They were clear and started to move out. Legon kept a firm connection with the birds in the area. This would be a tell-tale sign to other Venefica, but it gave them more time to run. They had about two days to go, and if they played their cards right, the army would be unwilling to follow them after about a day. By that point they would be too close to the border. The border itself didn’t hold some unseen power over the enemy, but rather the human and Elven forces that were just beyond it. The Dragon patrols didn’t hurt either.
They moved quickly from grove to grove. He laid down a spell to help reduce the dust from the horses. It would have been nice to do this in the dark, but time wasn’t on their side right now.
“Besides, we can’t see in the dark,” he told himself. Then he thought about it some more. “Well, most of us can’t.”
Legon would be able to see clearly in all but the darkest nights, his night vision even surpassing that of the horses. Arkin felt Phaedra’s excitement. There was a bond between them and she always matched how he was feeling.
Soon the sun was high in the sky and he felt his forehead burn. These southern lands were hot and after his nineteen-year exile he wasn’t used to them. They would push on until ten or so tonight and then they would rest for a while and start back up. With this pace they would be in the clear by tomorrow night.
* * * * *
Setting up camp that night consisted of rolling out bed rolls, Legon killing some rabbits with magic, and Sasha and Sara doing their best to cook them in a way that was appetizing. All in all, Keither thought sarcastically, this was shaping up to be a night of luxury and enjoyment. This whole trip had been that. He lay back on his bed roll, not going inside his tent. It was too hot out, but at least clouds were starting to fill the sky. They might just get a break tomorrow.
The others fell asleep quickly. The only ones still awake were Legon and himself. Legon was scanning the area for danger, but this land was barren, which would make playing lookout easy if there were owls or any other wildlife in the area.
Keither rested his hands on his belly, noticing that despite his perceived hardships, he was the only person not to lose weight. Thoughts about what his brother had said right before he died came to mind. He really was worthless when he thought about it. But still, that’s who he was; why try to change? He was uncomfortable and sat up, turning his torso and causing his back to crack and pop soothingly. Legon glanced over at him.