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  Joe groaned, and focused his will on trying to break the grip of Lord Elsen’s magic. He managed to raise his upper body up a foot or so off the ground.

  “You prefer to do things the old fashioned way?” the dark lord screamed at Joe. “Here’s your first lesson!”

  Lord Elsen’s booted foot lashed out at Joe’s head, and then darkness swallowed him up.

  Seven: Pain

  Joe returned to consciousness, aware only of pain. His head ached; his tongue throbbed; the muscles in his arms and legs were in agony.

  When he opened his eyes he saw that he was moving across the same open plain. His limbs pained him because he was tied spread-eagled to a crudely-built rectangular wooden frame; he bounced along, suspended by his wrists and ankles, one extremity bound in each corner as a horse pulled the frame over the ground. Joe felt every jolt whenever a support hit a rock or a hole.

  It had only been mid-morning when he and Phillip had started to run, and now the sinking sun told him it was late in the day and they were heading north, toward Lord Elsen’s ward.

  Just at that moment, Lord Elsen appeared in Joe’s field of vision, riding a large black horse that trotted easily beside Joe’s prison frame.

  “Ah, good,” Lord Elsen said, smiling, “you’re awake.”

  Joe said nothing.

  “We’ll stop soon,” Lord Elsen said, “There are a number of things you need to tell me.”

  “I have nothing to tell you.” It distressed Joe to hear the words come out as a harsh croak.

  “We shall see.” Lord Elsen glanced over at the sun and then back at Joe. “Very soon now, we shall see.” He kicked his heels into his horse’s sides, and the animal broke into a canter and carried Lord Elsen out of Joe’s view.

  Joe wasn’t sorry to see him go, but he now had nothing to distract him. The muscles in his arms and legs pained him terribly, and his mouth was dry because he was thirsty—very thirsty. He tried counting the number of men to take his mind off his thirst, but he could only see the sixteen who rode behind the horse that pulled him along.

  A short while later, the caravan halted. Four men unhooked the wooden frame from the horse. They lifted the frame upright, and two of them held it in place while the other two fetched small shovels and dug two holes in the earth. All four of them lifted the frame and placed the ends of the vertical sides into the holes. Once it was in place, they filled the holes in and tamped down the dirt.

  When they finished, the frame stood upright, and Joe hung suspended by his wrists. It brought some relief to the muscles in his legs, but increased the pain in his arms.

  “Wait!” Joe called, when the men started to walk off. “Could I have some water, please?”

  Only one man even looked back, and he merely shook his head.

  The other men built fires, laid out bed rolls, and began to prepare food. Joe fell to wondering if Phillip had found safety. She no longer had the map or any supplies, but she had her sword. Joe suddenly realized he didn’t know if Phillip could swim, and he felt a grim fear that she might have drowned. He shut his eyes in desolation, and when he opened them again, Lord Elsen stood right in front of him.

  “Good evening,” Lord Elsen said politely.

  “Go to hell,” Joe croaked.

  Lord Elsen’s smile wasn’t pleasant. “Eventually, perhaps, but not just now. In the meantime, I have some questions for you.”

  Joe shut his mouth tightly, and Lord Elsen stepped closer.

  “How did you get out of your room?” Lord Elsen said.

  Joe was so surprised at the question, he answered it. “I picked the lock.”

  “With what?”

  “A fork.”

  “Ah,” Lord Elsen said. “You’re a resourceful man.”

  Joe said nothing.

  “My spies tell me you found favor with the old mage,” Lord Elsen said. “What did you teach him of your world?”

  Again, Joe said nothing.

  “Who was that with you when we caught you?”

  Joe maintained his silence.

  Lord Elsen moved closer. “I shall have to test your resolution.” He pointed with his index finger, and everywhere he pointed, that part of Joe’s body radiated intense pain.

  The suddenness of it made Joe scream. The pain moved up and down his torso as Lord Elsen moved his hand, and then stopped as abruptly as it had started.

  “Answer my questions!” Lord Elsen said. “What did you teach the old mage?”

  Joe gritted his teeth and said nothing.

  Lord Elsen stepped close, pulled his knife, and held it to Joe’s throat.

  Joe closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He heard Lord Elsen laugh, and then felt the knife’s edge move down his torso. When he opened his eyes, Lord Elsen had slit open his shirt.

  The dark lord laid the blade of his knife flat against Joe’s bare chest. After a moment, the blade grew hot. In seconds, it was hot enough to make Joe try to pull away.

  Lord Elsen pressed the knife even tighter against Joe’s skin. The blade began to glow red.

  Joe screamed as the knife seared his skin. He smelled his own flesh burning, and a thin plume of smoke rose in front of his eyes. When Lord Elsen finally moved the knife, a perfectly shaped impression of it had been burned into Joe’s chest.

  “Now,” Lord Elsen said, “what did you teach the old mage?”

  Panting, Joe tried to will himself to ignore the pain. He clenched his eyes shut, but found himself compelled to open them when hands gripped his shoulders.

  Lord Elsen’s face was only inches from Joe’s. “What did you teach the old mage?”

  Pure pain surged through Joe’s body. He screamed again and again, until finally the dark lord moved his hands and the agony stopped.

  “What did you teach the old mage?”

  Joe hung limply in his bonds. When Lord Elsen lifted his hands again, Joe moaned. “No,” he said feebly. “Please, no.”

  “What did you teach the old mage?” Lord Elsen said. “Tell me, or I’ll do it again!”

  “Karate,” Joe croaked.

  “What?” Lord Elsen said.

  “It’s called karate,” Joe said. “I need water.”

  Lord Elsen called for water and held the bottle to Joe’s lips long enough for him to drink a few sips. Then he pulled it away. “Tell me about karate! What is it?”

  “It’s a form of unarmed combat,” Joe said, his voice stronger. “You use your hands and feet as weapons.”

  “The old man learned to do this?”

  “Not personally. I taught his soldiers.”

  “And what else?”

  “I showed his people how to make things.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “Stoves,” Joe croaked. “I showed them how to use stoves instead of fireplaces to heat a room. And how to use pulleys to lift things, and windmills to grind grain and pump water.”

  Lord Elsen looked impatient. “What about your weapons?”

  “He wasn’t interested in weapons.”

  Lord Elsen put both hands on Joe’s shoulders again. Joe flinched, but there was no pain.

  Lord Elsen clenched his hands so that his fingers dug into Joe’s flesh. “Now tell me about the man who was with you when we found you.”

  Joe said nothing.

  “He ran away and left you to your fate,” Lord Elsen said, his tone coaxing. “He had the power to withstand what you cannot, and yet he left you.”

  Joe let his head drop back. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to start.

  Lord Elsen didn’t disappoint him. Waves of pain coursed through Joe’s body. Joe writhed in agony, but clenched his teeth and didn’t say a word.

  Finally, Lord Elsen stopped the pain but left his hands in place on Joe’s shoulders.

  “Now,” the dark lord said, “think about this man. How do you know him?”

  Joe tried to keep his mind blank but there was no way he could keep himself from thinking about the answer.

 
; “A woman! It was a woman?”

  Joe couldn’t suppress a memory of himself and Phillip together in the firelight. He tried to cover it up with a memory of their test of unarmed combat.

  Lord Elsen shook him hard. “Were you lovers or enemies? It’s not clear! Tell me!”

  In spite of the pain, Joe let out a gurgle of laughter. “Beats me. I couldn’t figure that one out, either.”

  Lord Elsen swore. In a few seconds, Joe convulsed in pain. It continued for more than a minute, and then finally, everything went black again,

  Eight: The Price

  The next day was a blur of pain. Periodically, Lord Elsen would stop the caravan to question Joe, inflicting mental torture on top of the physical pain he suffered from his confinement.

  Joe kept silent, but still Lord Elsen learned from the images that formed in Joe’s mind when the dark lord asked him questions. Lord Elsen learned that Phillip was a woman posing as a man, that she seemed able to withstand magic, that she and Joe had quarreled often but made love only once, and that she had been a soldier in Lord Marcellin’s guard.

  Late in the afternoon, Lord Elsen called a halt to make camp. Once the prison frame was unhooked from the horse and propped up to a near-vertical position, he strolled over and spoke to Joe. “You look a mess, my friend. I doubt your androgynous lover would want you now.”

  Joe didn’t bother to agree. He had been bound for more than a day now, and at some time during the night he had given up control of his bladder. That and the sweat, dust, and blood that covered him made for an unattractive picture.

  “Well, no matter,” Lord Elsen said. “At this rate you’ll be dead soon.”

  Joe didn’t answer.

  “The old man didn’t tell you who this woman was, did he?” Lord Elsen asked.

  Lord Elsen’s tone implied that he knew more about Phillip than Joe did. Even numb with pain, Joe distrusted Lord Elsen too much to speak.

  “We mages have to be careful.” Lord Elsen’s manner grew confiding, almost chatty. “Our power depends on magic, and thus we’re vulnerable to anyone whose ability is greater than our own. We take care not to allow a child who possesses innate magic to grow up. Tolliver was always too squeamish to follow good sense. I expect he settled for ensorcelling the girl, to limit her magic and distract her from her potential.”

  Joe wavered. Speaking could be dangerous, but on the other hand, it was hard to learn anything if he kept silent. “What’s innate magic?” he croaked.

  Lord Elsen lifted his brows in mock surprise at the sound of Joe’s voice. “Alack, poor fellow! How terrible you sound! Let me get you some water.” He held a small water bottle to Joe’s lips.

  Joe drank greedily until Lord Elsen moved the bottle away.

  “More later,” he said, “if you’re good.”

  “What’s innate magic?” Joe repeated, licking his lips.

  “It’s an ability some people have in them,” Lord Elsen said. “Some have more than others, but most people have none at all.”

  “So all mages have it?”

  “Certainly. If you have enough innate magic, you can learn almost any spell or enchantment and make it work. If you don’t have innate magic, no spell will work for you. That’s how magic is, you see?”

  Joe was having difficulty keeping it all straight in his head, but he could dimly recall the dragon saying that Phillip had magic in her. He also remembered the Great Mage saying something about Phillip being familiar in some way.

  Lord Elsen was watching Joe’s face. “I see you’re beginning to fit the pieces together. You see how Tolliver could have enchanted the girl to get her out of his way. It was unlucky for him that she showed up again, but then he sent her off with you on your ridiculous quest.”

  “I don’t believe it.” As soon as he said it, Joe knew he shouldn’t have spoken.

  Lord Elsen smiled triumphantly. “Not yet, perhaps, but you will soon.” He reached out and gently stroked Joe’s forehead, leaving a cold chill everywhere he touched, a chill that numbed the pain. “If I let you live, it’ll be because I have a use for you. Tools can be shaped to a purpose.”

  “You bloody bastard!” Joe wanted to tug at his bonds, but he had no strength.

  “Tut, tut!” Lord Elsen said, clicking his tongue. “You’ll have to learn more respect for your new master.”

  He laid his hand on Joe’s head again, but instead of coldness, a sudden stabbing pain invaded Joe’s brain.

  Joe screamed so loudly he almost didn’t hear the shout from the other side of the caravan. When the pain ceased abruptly Joe raised his head to see Lord Elsen frowning. The dark lord was staring over Joe’s left shoulder.

  One of the soldiers shouted again, and then several of them began running to the horses.

  “Dragon!” someone screamed. “A dragon is coming!”

  Panic broke out instantly. Officers shouted orders, but every man there had only one thought, and that was to reach a horse as quickly as possible. Fights broke out as soldiers struggled for mounts. Joe saw a man who had grabbed a horse’s reins stabbed by another man, who vaulted onto the animal’s back, only to be dragged off by a third man.

  Joe craned his neck to scan the sky and finally saw a dark shape that looked black against the blue sky. The shape grew larger every second, and soon Joe could distinguish the wings that beat the air at a terrific speed. The animal flew with its long, snake-like body stretched out.

  Lord Elsen had gathered a half dozen men and prepared to make a stand. Most of the men formed a circle around him and drew their swords. The two with bows each nocked an arrow.

  As the dragon drew nearer, it dropped closer to the earth. Men screamed as it flew overhead, its long tail whipping back and forth, knocking riders from their horses. The dragon rose high into the air, and turned back to swoop over the camp. This time it plucked a man from his horse, grasping him with its forearms and carrying him, screaming, into the air.

  When it reached a height of a few hundred feet, the dragon opened its claws. The man fell like a stone and hit the earth with a sickening thud.

  No one went to his aid, as the dragon was already returning. It flew in a meandering route, swooping over terrified men and animals as if it were herding them. It belched a long, straight flame that licked the earth and scorched everything it touched. Men screamed in terror, and horses neighed and plunged as they caught the scent of burning grass and flesh.

  The men around Lord Elsen held their places. And then the dragon swooped down straight at Lord Elsen and his men and belched a huge tongue of fire.

  The flames didn’t reach them. Lord Elsen raised his arms, and the fire turned back, as if there was a barrier between the men and the dragon.

  The dragon circled and tried again, but again Lord Elsen’s magic was stronger than the flames. The men in the circle cheered, and one of the archers shot an arrow at the dragon.

  The men cheered louder still, even though the arrow fell short. They started to move from their circle, but Lord Elsen called them back. In just a minute, the dragon turned and came at them.

  This time the dragon swooped so low so it was barely above the ground. The movement of his wings caused a terrific wind that battered Joe. Dust swirled. Joe could barely see, as the dragon’s tail brushed over the men’s heads. The dragon turned in a tight circle and charged through the dust. Its wedge-shaped head felled two of the men, and then its tail whipped past and knocked down three others, including the dark lord.

  The dragon seized its chance, twisting in mid-air to shoot down a tongue of fire that caught the men on the ground. The soldiers screamed as their clothes caught fire, and even Lord Elsen cried out. The dragon hovered, beating the air with his wings and fanning the flames. Men ran screaming, and then dropped to roll on the ground trying to put out the flames.

  The dragon rose higher in the air. Lord Elsen was left alone. The flames on his clothes flickered and went out as he re-established control of his magic. He staggered away from the sw
irling dust and smoke. Joe could barely see him. And then a figure loomed in front of Joe’s frame. For a second he thought it was one of the soldiers, and then he recognized Phillip.

  “Phil!” he shouted.

  “Shut up,” she said, reaching up to slice the rope that bound his right wrist.

  Joe’s right arm dropped limply to his side. Phillip bent down and cut the ropes on his ankles, and suddenly Joe hung with all his weight on his left wrist. “Agh!”

  Phillip tucked her shoulder under his left arm and cut the last rope. Joe almost fell, but she held him up. They staggered a few steps together.

  “No,” Joe said. “I’ll never make it. You go.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Phillip said. “I came here just to get you.”

  “But the dragon might come back!”

  “I expect he will,” she said grimly. “I haven’t paid him yet.”

  “What?”

  “Come on!” she said. “Let’s get out of here before the smoke clears.”

  Joe couldn’t walk. Even with Phillip dragging him, their progress was slow.

  “Damn, I’ll have to catch a horse.” Phillip glanced around.

  “What’s that over there?” Joe asked, as a dark pillar of smoke seemed to swirl and grow solid.

  Phillip took one look at it and let go of Joe, who promptly fell to the ground in a heap. “Wait here,” she said.

  “Phil!” Joe pulled himself into a sitting position.

  She kept walking toward the dark shape. In a second, the shape moved closer, and Joe could see that it was Lord Elsen.

  “So,” Lord Elsen said, “it seems that you were lovers after all?”

  “Pig!” Phillip said. “What did you do to him?”

  Lord Elsen held out his arms in an expansive gesture. “He was reluctant to speak of you, so I had to be persuasive.”

  “Me?” Phillip sounded surprised.

  “Of course, you,” Lord Elsen said. “You have a talent that has value. I could certainly use someone with your abilities.”

  Phillip laughed and drew her sword. “The best thing I could do for this world would be to send you out of it.”