Melody of Mana

I walked beside Verren as we left the village. We made a bit of distance between ourselves and the rest of the group.

"I am not returning to the king's service." I spoke with a finality on this, because there was one.

"Nor I my friend." Verren said to me.

"So the first question is, do we take Durin up on his offer? Or do we go another way?"

"That's a hard one," he answered, "If we do join him, we will end up fighting against the kingdom's armies at some point. At the same time I'd trust him with my life, I even told my boys where to go if it should ever come to that."

"Sounds like you've already decided then." I told him.

"Suppose I have, should we go back for them?"

"That's the real hard one. I don't think so, wherever we're going my money is on it being a military installation. If things go wrong where we are, they might get killed in the crossfire."

Verren bristled a bit at that. "They might get killed if they stay in the town too Mystien."

"That's true, but it's a farming village. No army would attack them; they'd just come in and take over. I would be more worried about the fact that we're heading into a famine if Alana wasn't more than capable of keeping them fed."

"I worry about her most of all. The mayor's been holding himself back because I was there. He may try to force her to work for him."

I shook my head. "You worry too much, did you see what she did to that poacher?"

"No, can't say I did. I was out looking for others that day." Verren quirked a brow at me.

"Well, let's just say if Malke pushes her too hard, he's going to sorely regret it. John is close to unlocking physical type magic too."

"I noticed, if he had already I'd be able to sleep soundly."

"What about the other men? Do we take them with us or slip away tonight?"

"If all of us go it'll draw less attention to the two of us individually." Verren rubbed his chin as he considered the positives and negatives.

"True, I think they'd join us if we asked. Where are you on that?"

"They'd join us, and I'd trust them. They're not the cream of the crop, but they're good men. Durin said to bring men we trust if we wanted, so I say we take them."

"I agree. So Verren, where do we tell them, and when?"

"We'll ask to have lunch where the road from Khole's Hill meets the main one. We can tell them there and slip up to the waystation. That way nobody has a long time to get afraid and cause problems. That road's paved too, so no footprints."

"That's a solid plan, few places it could fail." I looked around, keeping an eye on our surroundings.

It was only a couple of days waiting until we reached the spot where the roads joined. Just after where we ate lunch. I waited till the men were fed and walked out before them. Verren and I had discussed how to do this a few times, and it was decided that I would be our mascot.

I could feel my nerves pricking as I stood. "I've known you all for years, and I served in the king's army once. The way I see it, I don't owe the kingdom a thing, and I'm not fighting in this foolish war." The men froze and looked at me.

"Mystien, if you desert, they'll come after you, they'll hang your corpse on the roadside as a warning." One of them spoke nervously. He was not wrong, they would try to do just that.

"I've got a place I can go. The one who told me about it has my trust. Furthermore, he told me that any men I trusted could come as well; I trust all you men. Will any come with me?"

"I will." It was Sorren, that was quite unexpected, but welcome.

"Me too." Another man from our hamlet spoke. His daughter had been coming to me asking me to charge a tattoo she'd gotten. I doubt he knew that, or would approve.

"And I."

"I as well."

"You've never done me wrong, I'll come Mystien."

It started with the men of our hamlet, spreading to those who knew me. Before I knew it, every one of them had agreed.

I could tell from the look of them that they were nervous. I had very little time to show them some results, or we might lose a few. Losing any could bring the might of the army down upon us, ending with us losing all.

"Alright then, let's go." I turned and led the way, going north once we hit the main road.

The thing about so many soldiers moving around was that nobody even blinked at us walking down the road.

The waystations were a series of stopping locations, situated in areas where there were fewer villages so that travelers could have a place to rest and resupply. This was a program designed to encourage merchants and messengers, and its effectiveness was middling at best. The main problem was that many of these simple affairs were just not maintained well. Nobles viewed them as a waste. Because they didn't need them, and who cared if their lessers could travel easily.

This waystation had a series of covered shelters and a central building. It was roughly standard for it's kind. Probably hosting one family to maintain it. I could see a small garden in the back, and a warm yellow glow coming from the windows on the office.

A bored looking woman in her twenties manned the desk. She was some kind of mage, not powerful, but strong enough to take on anyone likely to harass her. The woman did a double take when she saw me. Casters were thin on the ground here.

I gave her a warm smile, "Greetings, I'm traveling with some friends of mine and we'd like somewhere to rest. I'd like a room downstairs."

Her back went straight and she nodded, "How many sir?"

"Around thirty,"

"Of course, if you'll go get your men I can take you to your room immediately."

Once we'd brought everyone in she gave a quick look over us before moving to a door, "This way please gentlemen."

She led us to a basement. Once there a small catch opened the floor, leading the way to a lower room, this filled with what could only be contraband, I noticed a few things here and there that were decidedly illegal. That room had a second hatch, one that worked on a tiny bit of mana being pushed into a certain brick. It was hard to see, but a well trained mage would catch it if they were looking. The third room was larger, and full to the brim with weapons. It looked like someone's armory. If this was found, either an impossibly well provisioned secret society or rebellion would be suspected.

I was stunned, almost physically so when our guide went to the back wall. I could tell she was pulling mana through it. That was a rather advanced technique. Any normal person would think the contraband room was what was hidden. A skilled mage or someone paranoid would likely suspect this was where the real action was. Another level of subterfuge seemed excessive.

The wall slid open to a rough cave. "If you'll follow me this way sirs." That was all she said to us. The farmers were getting nervous, they'd never seen anything like this. I was shaken, nobody would use this level of security for anything below the level of a state secret.

At the end of the hallway we came to a door bound in iron. Two attentive guards stood in front of it. A few lamps had been distributed, I was just behind our guide. At her word the door was opened, and we were led into the final room of this facility.

It was large, perhaps forty feet on each side, and made of stone.

"What is that?" Asked one of those we'd brought with us.

I was a bit busy trying to process what I was seeing, "It's a 'gate'."

"Um..." Verren's response was not unexpected.

"It connects two points in space. They're incredibly rare, I know of perhaps a half dozen in the world. They were made by some ancient sage or order, nobody quite knows how."

"This is where I must leave you." The woman looked pleased. I think she enjoyed seeing jaws drop. "If you'll just step through someone will tend to you on the other side."

I stepped forward to the archway, glittering blue and covered in runes. Durin had implied that he was going to take the kingdom and any who opposed him, if he could set up this, I believed it.