"Sir, we need to question some of the townsfolk, see if there has been any sign of the mages or their magic, here." Urster's voice, more respectful this time, interrupted his thoughts.
Lyall sighed. "Round up a selection of people, from the ordinary workers, to the higher up officials, we will question them all. And bring me a map, so that I can plan our next move.
But no matter how many people he asked, none had seen Brianna, nor any sign of the mages. And the map, when it arrived, didn't help him either. So many small villages, spread out so far.
It would take years to search them all.
Lyall kept his horse on a tight rein. He watched every shadow, his magical senses taut. He was exhausted, as were the eighty other mages following behind him, but he couldn't afford to let down his guard. Not now. They must be getting close.
Mustn't they?
It had been a long two years. Two years since he had been home. Two years since he had seen his mother or father.
Two years since Brianna had left.
He'd seen no sign of her in any of the villages he had conquered. And there had been so many of them he'd lost count. Each moment he'd spent questioning the people from every village and town had only been made bearable by the fact that it gave him a chance to ask about her.
But no one knew anything. Or if they did, they weren't telling him.
He wasn't really surprised. He had decided early on that to reveal his true objective, to find the enemy mages, would achieve little. To the ordinary townsfolk and villages, he appeared to be a dangerous and invading mage army. How would telling them he searched for others change their opinion of him?
His mouth twisted in a thin line. It only eased his conscience a little when he told himself that his invasion was the better option. He prided himself on having taken countless towns without a single casualty, on either side. It was far better than anything the other mages would do when they returned.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" Urster urged his horse up until it was level with his, drawing his attention ahead with a wave of his hand.
Lyall frowned. He'd seen many towns and villages in the last two years. This was the first one surrounded by a wall. The hair rose on his arms. Had he finally found the mages?
And if so, would he find Brianna with them?
"We need to be careful," he told Urster, even though he could sense no magic at all. He glanced up at the fading sky. It would be dark within the hour.
"Should we wait until morning?" Urster said.
Lyall shook his head. "Our display is far more intimidating in the dark. And we may need every edge we can get."
Urster simply nodded. He hadn't argued with Lyall since that first day on the boat, after which they'd come to an agreement of sorts. Urster would voice his concerns, Lyall would listen, then he'd do what he chose. It was working well.
Lyall rode up the long straight road towards walls. No trees or bushes lined the edges, no shadows concealed their approach. Whoever controlled this village had some knowledge of tactics. The wall wasn't just for show. It took all his courage not to call this attack off while he considered his options.
But they were nearly at the wall. And the sentries, he could see now, watched them, unmoving, though arrows were nocked in their bows. Arrows didn't frighten him, they could be easily stopped. It was the thought of less obvious defences that had him concerned.
The only warning he had was a slight tingle on the edge of his senses. That was enough. Lyall reached for his magic to defend himself.
Only to find it was not there.
He jerked back on the reins, his fist jerking up automatically. He heard other horses halt behind him. He reached for his magic, moving nothing but his mind, straining for the familiar scent, or the swirling colours. Still nothing.
"Can you still touch your magic?" he asked Urster under his breath.
"Sir?" Urster sounded confused and concerned.
"Can you?" Lyall asked again, his voice tight.
"I.. Yes, sir."
"Then begin the display."
"Are you sure? If there is a problem..."
"Just do it," Lyall said tightly, his eyes never leaving the guards on the walls. "And keep every part of the illusion behind where I stand."
He felt the heat from the flames as they flared in a line behind him. The guards on the walls scurried back. Lyall took the chance to pull his horse back. Painful step after painful step.
He heaved a sigh of relief when he felt the magic. Automatically, he began his part in the sequence, creating the image of a black and red dragon, roaring loudly, breathing flames.
The screams of fear from the guards on the walls were a relief. If they knew anything about magic, the simple fire and illusions wouldn't cause them fear. Especially if they knew they couldn't reach any closer to the walls.
"Surrender now and no one will be hurt." Lyall projected his voice, hoping the sound would carry through whatever prevented his use of magic. He settled the dragon on the tops of some nearby trees, where it cost less energy to maintain the static display.
There was silence from the walls. Lyall waited patiently. They would have to fetch whoever was in charge and relay the story. But he didn't think he would be refused entrance. No village had held out more than an hour.
And he was very curious about what he would find inside.
*****
Mianna was putting the girls to bed when she heard the commotion outside. Her heart froze, then sped up when the screaming started.
"Mama, what dat?" Kylis asked, in her baby voice.
"Wha da?" Lylis repeated. She always repeated everything Kylis said.
Mianna took a deep breath. She didn't want the babies to be afraid. "It's time for us to get up," she said as cheerfully as she could muster.
She met Ryla, Terion's mother, on the stairs. Her face was as fearful as Mianna's. She didn't say anything, just held her arms out for the two little toddlers.
"Take them down to the basement and stay there until I come for you," Mianna said firmly.
"Of course," Ryla said. "Come on girls, we can play eye spy."
Kylis reached for her. "Want Mama."
Mianna reached out to hug her baby. "Mama will be back before you know it. Be good for Ryla, okay?"
Kylis looked at her, her eyes dark and solemn. Lylis sucked her thumb. Mianna gave them both a hug, then ran the rest of the way down the stairs, stopping only to rip her sword out of its scabbard near the door.
The silence outside was almost more frightening than the screams had been. What was wrong? Were the trolls back? There hadn't been a troll attack since the one in which her mother had been killed, but Brianna hadn't trusted the peace. She insisted they fortify the village, and not just in the direction of the ridge, and remain ever alert. If only she wasn't out on a scouting mission to a nearby village tonight.
The door opened as she touched it. One of the warriors stood there, his face ashen. "There are men on horseback outside the gates. Lots of them."
Relief surged through her at his words. Men she could deal with. "Well what was all the screaming about?" she said firmly. "Since when are we afraid of men?"
"Since they set half the countryside on fire and made a dragon appear out of thin air."
"Don't be silly, there's no such thing as dragons," Mianna said automatically.
"That's what I thought, Mianna, until I saw it with my own eyes. The man, their leader, is saying if we surrender, no one will be hurt. And the other guys are saying we should listen."
"You trust someone like that to keep their word?" she said sharply. "Take me to the tower and show me this dragon."
She followed the warrior to the lookout tower, not quite sure what to believe. But the field of unmoving flame, crowned by a dragon sitting on a tree, was hard to dispute. So was the man who stood in front of them all, unafraid.
The dragon roared-an unnatural sound that echoed off the ridge behind her. Mianna jumped and swallowed the automatic scream that rose in her throat. Hopefully that sound didn't carry over the ridge.
Where was Brianna when she needed her? She would know what to do.
But Brianna wasn't here and who knew when she would be back. Mianna had to make the decision herself.
"Surrender now and no one will be harmed." The voice was unnaturally loud.
The dragon roared again, and Mianna's heart jumped into her throat as it leapt into the air and flew towards the very spot she stood. It took all her courage to stand her ground and stare at it as it flapped its wings a mere thirty yards from her.
"What other choice do we have?" Terion's voice said quietly at her shoulder.
She wanted to turn and bury her face in his shoulder. To let him take care of her and make the decisions that seemed impossible. But Terion wasn't in charge of the village, she and Brianna were.
"We could refuse," she said.