“Great work, kid!” Tekhor’s powerful fist slammed down on Tailyn’s shoulder, knocking a couple shield points off. The excited guard had forgotten his own strength. “You saved us all!”
“It wasn’t me, Master Tekhor,” the boy replied in embarrassment. “The mages cast the lightning.”
“Well, if it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have lived long enough to see it! So, I’m in your debt. If there’s anything you need, just let me know, and I’ll be happy to help.”
“And you saved my life twice!” Georn piped up. “Your shield kept them off me, so I owe you, too, Tailyn. Remember that!”
Tailyn shrank back in confusion. At just ten years old, he wasn’t used to being the center of attention. Everyone had always done their best to avoid him thanks to Master Isor’s unpleasant temper, but there the townsfolk and even the god were singing his praises. It was both incredibly flattering and awfully scary.
“Sure, sure,” he finally squeezed out as the crowd parted. The pair of mages were making their way over, only their faces didn’t share the general exultant sentiment. Instead, they were focused and seriously frustrated about something.
“Where’s the wagon?” Forian asked Motar as the two stepped closer. The head of the guard frowned, looking back at his troops for support, but none of them were in any hurry to say what had happened to it.
“I said, where’s the wagon with the suspect?!” Forian’s voice was climbing in pitch, and the victors fell silent. The rank and file guards began edging away from the furious mages—nobody wanted to get in their way. Unsure what to say, Motar just blushed, though that was when Tailyn stepped in to help.
“The lixes dragged it into one of their portals, Master Mage. They ate the horses, too. I watched them do it.”
“One of their portals?! Motar, please tell me you’d already moved Dort the way I told you to?”
“No, Master Mage!” The red-faced head of the guard suddenly turned deathly pale, though he replied crisply and clearly. “When the lix attack began, Dort was still in the wagon.”
“I’m going to—” It was Forian’s turn to flush bright red, though he was interrupted by a menacing shout.
“In the name of the baron, nobody move!”
Hooves clattered across the cobblestones, and a detachment of armored horsemen rode out onto the square. Baron Equire’s troops had arrived to defend the city.
“Where are the green lixes? What are academy mages doing here? Does Baron Equire know you’re in his city?”
To his surprise, Tailyn realized the mustachioed commander wasn’t fazed in the least by the threatening mages. He behaved as though they were equal to or even below him. And what was even more incredible, Keran, the healer mage, replied. He even replied calmly, without expressing a shred of annoyance that their conversation with the guards had been so rudely interrupted.
“We’re just traveling through. The town elder asked us to stay for a couple days, so we did. Why was the town left unguarded?”
“None of your business!” the mustachioed warrior shot back. “The baron isn’t responsible for defending just this hole; he has to take care of the entire Gray Lands. But I haven’t heard an answer to my question. Where are the lixes?”
“Open your eyes and look around the square.” Forian released Motar from his withering glare and turned to the commander. “I’m Forian Tarn, second-class academy investigator. And you are?”
The arrogance was wiped off the commander’s face.
“Darod Bifo, commander, fifth detachment, second unit of Baron Equire’s guard.”
“The baron will be receiving a report on your actions today,” Forian said harshly. “Leaving level three guards alone in the city and only showing up twenty minutes after the invasion is the height of negligence! I was forced to violate our agreement to avoid using magic within the town and involve myself in the battle. At least twenty-two lixes were able to escape the city, so do your duty, Darod Bifo, and take care of the town. You’re free to go.”
Tailyn shivered. The already formidable warrior became even more so as he turned red, his face twisted in rage, and his eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets. But Forian had turned away. Swallowing his pride, the commander barked an order to his troops, and they galloped out of the city.
Forian glanced back at Motar, who was pale once again, and thought about what to do next. The god had turned out even more unpredictable than he’d expected. After handing the mage the mission to find the crystal fence and his accomplices, it had organized the invasion. And while Forian had been busy getting the green light from the dean to protect the city without the baron’s personal authorization, while the pair of mages had been trying to find a work-around for the rules, the lixes had just about won. Tailyn had once again distinguished himself, too. The boy really was an intriguing case. Having set up within the safety provided by the temple walls, he’d helped the guards fight off the first wave and boosted the reward in the process. And then, the mages had been able to react faster when the second wave showed up. The dean had personally vouched for the use of magic, and Forian had used one of his rare cards to bring lightning down on the lixes.
Three levels—two for the victory and one for contributing to it—would have been a great result for the surprise turn of events if it hadn’t been for one thing. The god had canceled the crystal fence mission. It had decided that Forian had lost the only suspect, without which it was impossible to get to the truth. If Motar had just followed instructions…
Forian just sighed heavily and let his eyes droop closed.
“I have nothing against the city guards.”
His wasn’t to understand the ways of the god; all he needed to understand was that taking his rage out on the guard would have been silly. Forian hadn’t personally made sure Dort was delivered to the prison, which meant it was partially his responsibility, as well.
Motar let his breath out. Bowing deeply, he disappeared quickly, in a hurry to get away from the crazed mage. But the latter had already forgotten about him. The mage was focused on the boy.
“I want to know why you didn’t follow my instructions. You were told to head to the temple.”
“The god closed it, Master,” Tailyn replied, stunning even himself. The battle behind him, he no longer felt the least bit of fear conversing with the mage. “The guard told me to come back after the attack.”
“You were too slow.” Forian ignored the boy’s attempted reply, instead continuing on. “But that’s a good lesson for you. When a mage tells you to do something, you drop everything else and get it done as fast as possible. Every guard who did the least bit of damage to any of the lixes got two levels. But you wasted the cards I gave you without ever getting past level one. You disappoint me, Tailyn Vlashich.”