A Clash of Magics by Guy Antibes (read this if txt) 📕

As the scout grasped his wound, Trevor moved in and grabbed the reins of the other horse, and put an end to the conflict. “My partner can heal,” Trevor said.

The scout peered at Trevor. “You are a Brachian?”

“I suppose I am,” Trevor said. “I’ll accept your surrender if you promise you won’t try to run.”

Blood was seeping through the scout’s fingers as he clutched his arm. “I don’t have a choice.”

“Of course you do, but surrender is the best one,” Trevor said.

Lissa held onto the reins of the injured man’s horse as Trevor dismounted and helped the scout down. Lissa grimaced as she cut cloth away from the wound.

“This will require stitches,” Lissa said as she opened her small medical kit.

“You’ll have to work fast,” Trevor said. “There could be more scouts around.”

She tacked the wound up. “You’ll need to see a healer to get a better job, but this will hold the wound closed for now.” Lissa applied a bit of magic healing to the wound, making the scout wince, but he barely cried out.

“I only have two questions for you,” Trevor said. “Is your army ahead or behind the Brachians?”

The man looked at Lissa and Trevor. “And if I don’t answer?”

“Then Lissa just wasted her time,” Trevor said.

“Behind. When they reach the one close to the enclave, we will destroy you.”

“The next question. How big is your army?” Trevor said.

“Bigger than the one on this road.”

Trevor nodded. “That is good enough. I’ll help you mount. I’ll put your friend’s body on his horse.”

After the body was tied to the scout’s horse, Trevor nodded to Lissa, who gave the reins to the ailing scout. They watched him disappear into the woods.

“Now, we will see if he spoke the truth,” Trevor said. “We can share the remaining horse.”

“Weren’t you being too kind to your enemy?” Lissa asked.

“Maybe, but General Brightwork split his forces, remember? If they haven’t joined up yet, and I doubt if they have, the Maskumite army is in for a rude surprise.”

They walked for another hour before they confronted four outriders dressed in Brachian uniforms.

“Raise your hands slowly,” Trevor said to Lissa before he did the same.

“Duke Trevor,” one of the soldiers said. “I’m surprised to see you here. There are enemy scouts on this road.”

Trevor nodded. “I know. We ran into two of them. I need to talk to General Brightwork.”

The scout who recognized Trevor turned to his fellows. “I’ll take him back.”

The others continued up the road while Trevor and Lissa followed the scout back on borrowed horses. General Brightwork and his staff traveled near the front of the long column.

“I thought I would talk to you on my own,” Trevor said. He gave the general a short version of his confrontation with Gareeze Plissaki. “Did he claim to have special weapons to use on Brachia’s enemies?”

Brightwork frowned. “He always claimed to have a small cadre of powerful magicians, but Gareeze never boasted of having any special powers, and I’d classify the orange lightning as a special.”

“Talk to your magicians and come up with a suitable defense. A charm might lessen the effects, but your men might want to make sure they use their shields. Plissaki used a wand or rod of some kind as a focus,” Trevor said.

“I caught that. I’ll do as you say. Most of the magicians ride together.”

“I’d spread them out too,” Trevor said. “That is a suggestion, not a command.”

Brightwork laughed. “I took it as a suggestion, but it’s a good one, especially now.”

“Has your army combined yet?” Trevor considered this the most critical question.

“No. The largest is still in the foothills. We will meet up at the end of the day, but with your new information, I’ll send a message to have them join with us as soon as possible.” Brightwork squinted at Trevor. “What is your next suggestion?” the general said with half a smile.

“If the Maskumite army thinks to take us in the flank, what should we be considering?” Trevor said.

Brightwork smiled. “I was intent on joining up with you. Thank you for taking me out of my complacency. If the terrain permits, one good flanking maneuver deserves another.”

“I’ll leave that to you,” Trevor told the general about his plan for another foray into the enclave, but a less invasive one than he had initially planned.

“My suggestion to you is not to go in. It will be too easy to ambush an unsuspecting burglar,” Brightwork said.

Trevor nodded. “Perhaps that is my best advice today.” He turned to Lissa. “Dismount, and let’s get back to our group.”

~

The situation hadn’t changed on the outside of the enclave. Trevor mulled over General Brightwork’s advice. He had one last visit to make before he made the final decision. It was time to visit Samar Doford onboard a Sirlandian vessel. “Wait for the general if I don’t get back in time,” Trevor said. “The Brachian columns haven’t united yet, and it appears that the Maskumite army thinks there is only one.”

“I’m not sure you are right, but we can wait. Do you want to see the map first?” Potur Lott asked.

Trevor took a deep breath. He needed to slow down a bit, anyway. “Did you find anything interesting?”

“You won’t like it. Other than the main corridors and walkways, all three maps are different. I was hoping for more matching areas, but…” Potur shook his head.

Trevor looked down at the final map. He spent a few minutes memorizing it, and all the areas he had been were shown. “The cabal areas are the ones that are different,” he said. “See if you can find out who made each of the three maps. The plans for the cabal areas that made the map might